Santiago Copla Y Misterio

Green millenary country
cathedral without god or saints
where the wind organ
sounds in the devil's masses

there they raise their cups
to the skies the quebracho trees
and the chañares dress up
and the topaz huiñaj

strange superstitions
shake their mysteries
when legends fly
through the branches of terror

Vegetal flesh that screams
the musical voice of the tree
language growing drums
to name Santiago

And when the woodcutter of dreams
falls asleep, the star defeated
twilight flees in a whistle
of partridge towards the sunset

The tucu tucus light up
their headlights in the shadows
and the Quichua myths of clay
dance their pala pala

Below the thorn the ucle
the tobacco-colored earth
above the tender nests
swinging on the branches

And a flight of cardinals
setting fire to the trees
this is the rugged poetry
of the mountains of my Santiago