Calle desconocida is an early poem by Borges that captures a particular feeling about wandering the streets of Buenos Aires. Some selected lines:
In that hour when the light has the fineness of sand,
I happened on a street unknown to me,
ample and broadly terraced,
whose walls and cornices
took on the pastel color of the sky
that nudged the horizon.
Everything — the drab houses,
the crude banisters, the doorknockers,
perhaps the hopes of a girl dreaming on a balcony —
all entered into my vain heart
with the clarity of tears.
En esa hora en que la luz
tiene una finura de arena,
di con una calle ignorada,
abierta en noble anchura de terraza,
cuyas cornisas y paredes mostraban
colores blandos como el mismo cielo
que conmovía el fondo.
Todos — la medianía de las casas,
las modestas balaustradas y llamadores,
tal vez una esperanza de niña en los balcones
entró en mi vano corazón
con limpidez de lágrima.
June 18th, 2006 at 10:40 am
Jeff, this month’s posts have been great. One of my shortcomings is a more thorough knowledge of Borges & you’ve handed it to me on a platter every day. Thanks!
June 18th, 2006 at 8:08 pm
Robert – Thanks! Glad to hear that you found it interesting. It has been fun spending a month with Borges.
July 7th, 2006 at 3:46 am
[…] Jeff Barry, who runs the site left Miami in 2005 to take a break from his career as a librarian, and moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina. He recently spent a month exploring in-depth the city’s biggest literary giant, Jorge Luis Borges. […]