Maisuaren kantua

Juan Luis Zabala

(Leonard Cohenen beste kantu baten hitzak).

Maisuaren kantua

Uste dut zure maisua kantuan
entzun zenuela ni ohean eri nintzela.
Pentsatzen dut nik buruan gordea
dudan dena kontatuko zizula.
Zure maisuak bidaian eraman zintuen,
hori da behintzat zuk esan zenuena.
Eta orain etorriko al zara zure presoari
ogia eta ardoa ekartzera?

Sarreran arropa kentzen dizuten
tenplu horietako batean ezagutu zenuen.
Aulki batean zenbakirik gabeko gizon bat zen,
besterik ez, gerratik itzuli berria.
Eta zuk haren aurpegi nekatua biltzen duzu adatsean
eta hark sagar baten bihotza eskaintzen dizu.
Orduan zure ezpainak ukitzen ditu, guk aurretik pausatutako
musu guztien ondorioz orain bat-batean biluziak.

Artzain aleman bat utzi zizun paseatzeko,
larruzko lepoko iltzedunarekikoa,
eta inoiz ez zizun kontatu edo azaldu arazi
xehetasun txikiei buruzko ezer,
hala nola nork zeukan zizare bat edo nork zeukan haitz bat,
eta nork zinduzkan zu karten bitartez.
Orain zure amodioa sekretu bat da etxepe osoan zehar
eta ez du etenik zure maisuak huts egiten duenean ere.

Eskurik gabe gidatzen duen
bere aireplanoan eraman zintuen,
eta jendea babestera behartzen duten
euriaren zintak zeharkatu zenituzten.
Orduan hark argiak hil zituen kalexka bakarti batean
eta aingeru baten ganglioak zituen tximino batek
minaren azken zatiak ezabatu zituen
goma elastikoen musikarekin.

Eta orain zure maisua kantuan entzuten dut,
zu belaunikatu egiten zara itzul dadin.
Haren gorputza urrezko hari bat da
eta hartatik zintzilik dago zure gorputza.
Haren gorputza urrezko hari bat da,
nire gorputza sorgortuz hazi da.
Oi, orain zure maisua kantuan entzuten duzu,
zure brusak askatuak ditu botoiak.

Eta belaunikatuko al zara ohe honen ondoan,
guk aspaldi argizariz igurtzia,
zure maisuak, aitzitik, nire ohea
elurrez egitea erabaki baino lehen?
Zure begiak basati daude eta zure hatz-koskorrak gorri
eta zu apalegi ari zara hizketan.
Ez, ezin dut irudikatu zure maisuak
zu joatera behartu aurretik aurretik esan zuena.

Hortaz, oso gogor jokatzen ari izan zarela uste dut
ilargian izandako dama bat izateko;
luzaz egon izan naiz leihoan
gela huts batean egoten ohitzeko.
Eta zure maitasuna oinekin melodia bat
jarraitzen ari den gizon zahar baten
alkandorako eskumuturretako hautsaren antzekoa da,
eta zure izterrak hondamendi bat dira, gehiegi nahi duzu,
esan dezagun batzuetan goizegi itzuli zinela.

Nik zure maisua maite nuen perfekzioz,
zekien guztia irakatsi nion.
Misterio baten amildegian goseak amorratzen zegoen
egiaz ziur dagoen gizon baten antzera.
Eta nik harengana bidali zintudan
zerbait gehiago irakatsiko niolako garantiarekin,
eta nire miraz nola izango zinen irakatsi nion,
axolarik ez hark zioenak, ezta zuk eginak ere.

Uste dut zure maisua kantuan
entzun zenuela ni ohean eri nintzela.
Seguru nago nik buruan gorde behar
dudan dena kontatuko zizula.
Zure maisuak bidaian eraman zintuen,
hori da behintzat zuk esan zenuena.
Eta orain etorriko al zara zure presoari
ogia eta ardoa ekartzera?

Master Song

I believe that you heard your master sing
when I was sick in bed.
I suppose that he told you everything
that I keep locked away in my head.
Your master took you travelling,
well at least that’s what you said.
And now you come back to bring
your prisoner wine and bread?

You met him at some temple, where
they take your clothes at the door.
He was just a numberless man in a chair
who’d just come back from the war.
And you wrap up his tired face in your hair
and he hands you the apple core.
Then he touches your lips now so suddenly bare
of all the kisses we put on some time before.

And he gave you a German Shepherd to walk
with a collar of leather and nails,
and he never once made you explain or talk
about all of the little details,
such as who had a word and who had a rock,
and who had you through the mails.
Now your love is a secret all over the block,
and it never stops not even when your master fails.

And he took you up in his aeroplane,
which he flew without any hands,
and you cruised above the ribbons of rain
that drove the crowd from the stands.
Then he killed the lights in a lonely lane
and an ape with angel glands
erased the final wisps of pain
with the music of rubber bands.

And now I hear your master sing,
you kneel for him to come.
His body is a golden string
that your body is hanging from.
His body is a golden string,
my body has grown numb.
Oh now you hear your master sing,
your shirt is all undone.

And will you kneel beside this bed
that we polished so long ago,
before your master chose instead
to make my bed of snow?
Your eyes are wild and your knuckles are red
and you’re speaking far too low.
No I can’t make out what your master said
before he made you go.

Then I think you’re playing far too rough
for a lady who’s been to the moon;
I’ve lain by this window long enough
to get used to an empty room.
And your love is some dust in an old man’s cough
who is tapping his foot to a tune,
and your thighs are a ruin, you want too much,
let’s say you came back some time too soon.

I loved your master perfectly,
I taught him all that he knew.
He was starving in some deep mystery
like a man who is sure what is true.
And I sent you to him with my guarantee
I could teach him something new,
and I taught him how you would long for me,
no matter what he said no matter what you’d do.

I believe that you heard your master sing
while I was sick in bed.
I’m sure that he told you everything
I must keep locked away in my head.
Your master took you travelling,
well at least that’s what you said,
And now do you come back to bring
your prisoner wine and bread?