The following poems are written in Asturian and are here accompanied by the English translations. 

 

TIEMPU DE SEMA

Nun la escoyí yo,

fui yo l’escoyíu

pola mio llingua materna.

Ye comu l’apellíu,

el nome,

el llugar de ñacimientu…

eses coses nun s’escueyen

y son les que mos identifiquen,

les que mos alluguen

nel mundiu.

Ye una llingua humildosa,

pero afayadiza pa la poesía.

Los poemes nun meyoren

según el númberu de falantes

nin con un mayor share

n’horariu de másima audiencia.

La mio llingua ye un abellugu

tapecíu na viesca

au caltengo a salvu

el semenciu’l mio mundiu.

Ye primavera, tiempu de sema.

 

 

TIME FOR SOWING

I have not chosen it

I was the selected by

my mother tongue.

It is as the last name,

the first name,

the place of birth…

we can’t choose these things

and these are the things

that indentify us,

that locate us in the world.

It’s a humble language,

but suitable for poetry.

Poems do not improve

according to the number of speakers

or to a better share

in prime-time.

My mother tongue is a shelter

hidden in the woods

where I keep safe

the seeds of my world.

It’s spring. It’s time for sowing.

 

QUEDAR UNA NUECHE

Conocí a dellos poetes

que nun yeren poetes,

pero salíen perbien na semeya.

Lleí a dellos poetes

esmolecíos pola rima,

esmolecíos pola métrica,

pero valeros,

comu una ilesia

a les tres de la mañana.

Conocí a poetes

que nel fondu,

yeren empresarios

pero non poetes.

Lleí a dellos poetes

que nun conocí

-igual esa ye la clave-

que m’emburriaren

al cultu a Calíope,

ya intento’n cada versu

quedar una nueche con ella.

 

APPOINTMENT

I have known some poets

who are not poets,

but they were very photogenic.

I have read some poets

concerned about the rhyme,

concerned about the metrics,

but empty,

as a church at 3 o’clock

in the morning.

I have known some poets

who ultimately,

were entrepreneurs,

but not poets.

I have read some poets

that I didn’t meet

-perhaps that’s the key factor-

who pushed me

to the Caliope cult,

and I try in each verse

to have a night

an appointment with her.

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Xe M. Sánchez was born in 1970 in Grau (Asturies, Spain). He received his Ph.D degree in History from the University of Oviedo in 2016, he is anthropologist, and he also studied Tourism and three masters (in History, in Protocol and in Philately and Numismatic). He has published in Asturian language Escorzobeyos (2002), Les fueyes tresmanaes d’Enol Xivares (2003), Toponimia de la parroquia de Sobrefoz. Ponga (2006), Llue, esi mundu paralelu  (2007), Les Erbíes del Diañu (E-book: 2013, Paperback: 2015), Cróniques de la Gandaya (E-book, 2013), El Cuadernu Prietu (2015), and several publications in journals and reviews.