Monday, December 27, 2010

La Fageda d'en Jordà

Portrait of Joan Maragall, photograph from 1903                                  Image via Wikipedia
 One of the reasons I created this blog was to bring the world and its many treasures to my readers. Here is an excellent example of a Catalan poet, who I am sure many people outside of Catalunya do not know. He is a wordsmith whose imagery evokes thoughts, feelings and metaphors that transcend linguistic barriers. The Catalan poet is Joan Maragall(1860-1911) and one of his poems can be found below.
La Fageda D'en Jorda
Saps on és la fageda d'en Jordà ?
Si vas pels volts d'Olot, amunt del pla,
trobaràs un indret verd i pregon
com mai més n'hagis trobat al món:
un verd com d'aigua endins, pregon i clar;
el verd de la fageda d'en Jordà.
El caminant, quan entra en aquest lloc,
comença a caminar-hi poc a poc;
compta els seus passos en la gran quietud
s'atura, i no sent res, i està perdut.
Li agafa un dolç oblit de tot el món
en el silenci d'aquell lloc pregon,
i no pensa en sortir o hi pensa en va:
és pres de la fageda d'en Jordà,
presoner del silenci i la verdor.
Oh companyia! Oh deslliurant presó!

To hear a beautiful musical interpretation of this poem, listen to Dolors Lafitte. Even if you don't understand Catalan, you will be moved by this beautiful voice.
Enhanced by Zemanta

No comments:

Post a Comment