Antonio Machado: La Saeta (need help with Spanish)

[Mr. Madeleine]

While browsing for readings of poems by Federico García Lorca (whom I have been translating lately) I came upon this poem by Antonio Machado, sung by Joan Manuel Serrat:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHwhhVWoFJI&feature=fvw

It's so beautiful I had to translate it. I could read and translate the whole piece, but I am puzzled with the last line: "sino al que anduvo en la mar!" I can translate literally, but I feel I'm missing on something. If any Spanish reader could tell me how he/she interprets that last stanza, I'd be very thankful.


La Saeta (Antonio Machado)

Dijo una voz popular:
¿Quién me presta una escalera
para subir al madero
para quitarle los clavos
a Jesús el Nazareno?

Oh, la saeta, el cantar
al Cristo de los gitanos
siempre con sangre en las manos,
siempre por desenclavar.

Cantar del pueblo andaluz
que todas las primaveras
anda pidiendo escaleras
para subir a la cruz.

Cantar de la tierra mía
que echa flores
al Jesús de la agonía
y es la fe de mis mayores.

¡Oh, no eres tú mi cantar
no puedo cantar, ni quiero
a este Jesús del madero
sino al que anduvo en la mar!

[Natha]

Hello Madeleine!

I am a newer in the forum, I'm from Spain and I would like to help u with this beautiful "saeta". I don't know exactly what you misunderstand but the last stanza means that this Christ in the wood is not the one who he wants to sing (because he is not the real one) and he really wants to sing to the one who was walking through the sea... I hope it helps.. Anyway, this poem could be interpreted just as I have told u, he doesnt want to sing to this Christ because it is just made of wood, but I think that the best interpretation is that he doesnt want to sing to this Christ nor cant believe in the real one so he would like to see the real one in order to be able to believe in him and this festivity that he contemplates full of pity...

Excuse my English and hope it had helped...

[Mr. Madeleine]

Thanks Natha, it does help indeed. One of the pleasures of translation is interpretation. I've been working on the poems of Federico Garcia Lorca lately, but I sure will find time to read more of Machado. I have also recently acquired a small bilingual anthology of Spanish stories (have just read a piece of Don Juan Manuel) to get better acquainted with the literary culture to which they belong.

I yet have to find the right place here to post translations. If anyone could let me know, that would be great.

[LaGuera7426]

¿Quién me presta una escalera
para subir al madero
para quitarle los clavos
a Jesús el Nazareno?


i realize this question is from years ago, but I recently studied this poem in my Intro to Hispanic Lit class. The first stanza of the poem is a traditional Gypsy "saeta", or religious chorus and generally sung around Easter. The way I understood the rest of the poem was that Lorca doesn't wish to pray to/worship the dead Jesus on the cross who needs saving because the Jesus he "knows" and loves was resurrected and is alive. Another point made is that Jesus is God and God doesn't need our help as He is all-powerful.



...no puedo cantar, ni quiero
a este Jesús del madero
sino al que anduvo en la mar!

...I cannot sing, nor do I want to
not to this Jesus of the wood (suggesting the Jesus nailed to the cross)
But rather He who walked on water.


(No, I am not a native speaker, but I have studied Spanish since I was 14 (over 20 yrs), was fortunate enough to have experienced an exchange program in Costa Rica, and currently translate, as needed, for the local Spanish-speaking members of our community.)

[iyo]

this is a year old post but I registered to answer your request:
¡Oh, no eres tú mi cantar
no puedo cantar, ni quiero
a este Jesús del madero
sino al que anduvo en la mar!

the Jesus in the cross, is a Jesus that suffered, He was a the low point of his life. He was betrayed by friends, killed by those who professed him love in better times. Some of those that followed him and listened to his beautiful preaching were the ones screaming to crucify him. The poem seems to be showing the every year desire of the andaluzian people to correct the wrong done on Jesus by seeking a ladder to take the nails off his hands. In contrast, the Christ that walked on the sea, demonstrated dominion over nature, and showed his Godly power. as one represents the sadness and horrors a good man went through by our own hand, and the other represents the love and power of that same man before being betrayed.
In my interpretation, the poet is expressing the feelings of a group of people trying to undo a wrong while he (the poet) states he finds difficult to continue celebrating the killing of the man when there are many better and more beautiful things about him we should be celebrating instead of his horrible death. He at the end of the poem expresses his own feelings that he rather celebrate the strong and godly Jesus instead of the betrayed and bleeding victim of human dark souls.

then the translation it is in my interpretation:

Oh, you are not the motive of my singing
I can't celebrate (sing) the one in the cross, nor I want to
I want to celebrate (sign) that who walked on the sea...