Tags
END OF THE YEAR, FERVOR DE BUENOS AIRES, FINAL DE AÑO, Jorge Luis Borges, Phil Gennuso Arts, Translations
END OF YEAR
Not even the minutiae of replacing a three with a two,
not even the empty metaphor
that summons an agonizing year and another that emerges,
nor the fulfillment of a convoluted astronomical deadline
surrounded with cataclysms of clappers and shouts,
can undermine this serene midnight plateau,
even as they make us wait
with a fantastic display of doom and gloom,
for the twelve dark chimes.
The true cause of our fascination
is the universal, fuzzy suspicion
of the metaphysical possibilities of Time,
it is the bewilderment of the miracle
that in spite of such infinite alternatives
something may sometimes persist in us
motionless.
**************************************************
FINAL DE AÑO
Ni la minucia guarismal de reemplazar un tres por un dos
ni esa metáfora baldía
que convoca un año agonizante y otro que surge
ni el cumplimiento de un enrevesado plazo astronómico
socavan con cataclismos de badajadas y gritos
la altiplanicie de la media noche serena
y en agorería fantástica
nos hacen aguardar las doce campanadas oscuras.
La causa verdadera
es la sospecha universal y borrosa
de las metafísicas posibilidades del Tiempo,
es el azoramiento ante el milagro
de que a despecho de alternativas tan infinitas
pueda persistir algo en nosotros
inmóvil.
**************************************************
BRIEF NOTES
End Of Year / Final De Año was published in 1923 in a short book of poems, Fervor De Buenos Aires, by Argentine author, Jorge Luis Borges. He was 23 years old when it was published and it was his first work. Through the years, Borges revised the original Fervor De Buenos Aires several times, sometimes with substantial changes, and even left some of the original poems out of these later editions. This poem however, was included, though with revisions, in his later editions.
My post presents the very first original copy, the 1923 version, with my translation, a version that is now somewhat hard to find. With that said, for this poem, the future editions were a bit simplified in terms of the metaphors and the structure, but the basic spirit of the poem remains pretty much the same.
Borges became quite well known and iconic through the years, mostly for his works of fiction, but he always maintained, that although Fervor was a somewhat immature work, from a very young author, the poems did contain the seeds of much of his later works. And indeed Borges throughout his distinguished career returned to the metaphysics of Time, and Eternity, quite often in his writings. This poem is a nice introduction to some of these later works Borges created, in my opinion!
The poem has two sections, each one comprising a seperate sentence.
The first sentence covers the poet’s feelings about the usual hoopla and partying that occurs on New Year’s Eve. I am sure we all have been there. I know as a New Yorker, I had to go to Times Sqaure on New Year’s Eve at least once in my life, a necessary pilgrimage if you will, and I did. Just as an aside, I will always remember how close we all felt, cheering the ball dropping down to signal the New Year, how we all were part of the same tribe, but then within a short time, after the celebration finished, the crowd just dispersed, we all went our seperate ways, the tribe dissipated, and we went back to our own lives.
Well, even though the Times Square ball drop officially began in 1907, Jorge Luis Borges, evidently wanted no part of the celebrations! To him, as expressed in this poem, the celebrations are misguided at best, and even spooky, at worst. The very deadline aspect of New Year’s Eve itself is considered convoluted. Borges wants no part of this craziness. Yet, he still honors this “serene midnight plateau”, in his heart and mind. And he will endure all the foolishness just to get there.
And where does he seek to go? Well the second sentence answers that question.
The true cause of our fascination with the New Year is our fascination with Time itself, and how it affects us and the Universe. Even though we know that everything is always changing, including ourselves, there is the chance that something can remain, something can be immobile, something of value can stay behind, motionless in us, for all of Time.
That is the fascination, the mystery, the miracle.
Maybe we should also consider that this New Year’s Eve, amidst all the happy celebrations.