Translated to English by Richard Gabela on April 15, 2024, from the original work “En el cementerio” by Juan Eusebio Molestina (1850-Unknown) of Guayaquil, Ecuador. I have translated the title of the poem as “In The Cemetery.”
IN THE CEMETERY
With a soul full of dismay
Today I kneel, dear mother,
Before your cold tombstone
To lay out my affliction;
These are expressions of love
That spring from my sorrow,
Endless are the tears
That flow from my heart.
I live a restless and solitary life
Under the burden of this torment,
And my thoughts are clouded
By the memory of your love;
For you were in life
A star of good fortune
That in the valley of hope
Cast a radiant light upon me.
In life, I adored you
As fish adore the river,
As flowers the dew,
As men do God;
Consider my anguish
And my great misfortune,
Now that before the grave,
I give you my final farewell.
May God bless your remains
And the calm of your stone;
Yes, may God sanctify your soul
And keep it in Eden;
Meanwhile, dear mother,
I will cry for my ill fate,
And bemoan your death
And my misfortune as well.
Farewell, beloved mother!
Farewell, oh blessed sun!
Forever, forever in mourning,
For your soul, I will pray;
You will occupy my thoughts
Both night and day,
Your memory, dear mother,
I will forever venerate!
Translator’s Notes: I chose to translate Juan Eusebio Molestina‘s poem “En el cementario” into English because of its profound exploration of love and loss. This moving tribute to the bond between parent and child, written in 1900, captures the enduring power of love in the face of grief. Molestina, known for his poetic dramas, demonstrates his skill in this poem by deftly juxtaposing personal sorrow with broader themes of hope and remembrance, creating a deeply resonant piece of poetry. The imagery of his mother, portrayed as a “star of good fortune” whose brilliance casts “a radiant light” in “the valley of hope,” beautifully captures her profound significance to him.
Original Spanish Version
EN EL CEMENTERIO
Con el alma consternada
Hoy me postro, madre mía,
Ante tu lápida fría
A exponerte mi aflicción;
Son de amor las expresiones
Que brotan de mi quebranto,
Es inagotable el llanto
Que mana mi corazón.
Vivo inquieto y solitario
Bajo el yugo del tormento,
Y me nubla el pensamiento
El recuerdo de tu amor;
Pues que fuiste en la existencia
Una estrella de bonanza
Que en el valle de esperanza
Me lanzaba resplandor.
En la vida te adoraba
Como los peces al río,
Cual las flores al rocío,
Como los hombres á Dios;
Considera mis angustias
Y también mi desventura,
Hoy que ante la sepultura,
Te doy el supremo adiós.
¡Dios bendiga tus reliquias
Y de tu loza la calma;
Sí, Dios que consagre tu alma
Y la tenga en el Edén;
Mientras tanto, madre mía,
Lloraré mi mala suerte,
Y deploraré tu muerte
Y mi infortunio también.
¡Adiós madre idolatrada!
¡Adiós, oh sol, bendecido!
Siempre, siempre compungido
Por tu alma yo rogaré;
Tu serás mi pensamiento
En la noche y en el día,
Tus recuerdos, madre mía,
Por siempre veneraré!