Balada de Los Dos Abuelos

Shadows that only I see,
My two grandparents escort me.

Spear with a bone tip,
Drum of leather and wood:
My black grandfather.
Ruff on the wide neck,
Gray warrior armor:
My white grandfather.

Africa of humid jungles
And fat, deaf gongs...
I'm dying!
(says my black grandfather.)
Water tight with alligators,
Green mornings of coconuts...
I'm tired!
(says my white grandfather.)
Oh sails of bitter wind,
Galleon burning in gold...
I'm dying!
(says my black grandfather.)
Oh coasts of virgin necks
Deceived by beads...!
I'm tired!

Oh pure embossed sun,
Imprisoned in the tropic hoop;
Oh round and clean moon
Over the monkeys' dream!

So many ships, so many ships!
So many blacks, so many blacks!
Such long gleam of sugar canes!
Such whip of the slaver!

Stone of tears and blood,
Veins and half-open eyes,
And empty dawns,
And sugar mill sunsets,
And a great voice, strong voice,
Shattering the silence.
So many ships, so many ships,
So many blacks!

Shadows that only I see,
My two grandparents escort me.

Don Federico yells at me
And Taita Facundo stays silent;
Both dream in the night
And walk, walk.
I join them.

Federico!
Facundo! They embrace each other.
They both sigh. They both
Raise their strong heads;
Both the same size,
Under the high stars;
Both the same size,
Black longing and white longing,
Both the same size,
They shout, dream, cry, sing.
Dream, cry, sing.
Cry, sing.
Sing!