Here is a beautiful poem by Jose Agustin Goytisolo. There is a beautiful version of this poem sung by Paco Ibanez. I will include the Spanish and a quick English translation I made. It's a father's words to his daughter:

PALABRAS PARA JULIA de Jose Agustin Goytisolo

Tú no puedes volver atrás
porque la vida ya te empuja
como un aullido interminable.

Hija mía es mejor vivir
con la alegría de los hombres
que llorar ante el muro ciego.

Te sentirás acorralada
te sentirás perdida o sola
tal vez querrás no haber nacido.

Yo sé muy bien que te dirán
que la vida no tiene objeto
que es un asunto desgraciado.

Entonces siempre acuérdate
de lo que un día yo escribí
pensando en ti como ahora pienso.

La vida es bella, ya verás
como a pesar de los pesares
tendrás amigos, tendrás amor.

Un hombre solo, una mujer
así tomados, de uno en uno
son como polvo, no son nada.

Pero yo cuando te hablo a ti
cuando te escribo estas palabras
pienso también en otra gente.

Tu destino está en los demás
tu futuro es tu propia vida
tu dignidad es la de todos.

Otros esperan que resistas
que les ayude tu alegría
tu canción entre sus canciones.

Entonces siempre acuérdate
de lo que un día yo escribí
pensando en ti
como ahora pienso.

Nunca te entregues ni te apartes
junto al camino, nunca digas
no puedo más y aquí me quedo.

La vida es bella, tú verás
como a pesar de los pesares
tendrás amor, tendrás amigos.

Por lo demás no hay elección
y este mundo tal como es
será todo tu patrimonio.

Perdóname no sé decirte
nada más pero tú comprende
que yo aún estoy en el camino.

Y siempre siempre acuérdate
de lo que un día yo escribí
pensando en ti como ahora pienso.

English - my translation:

Words for Julia - Jose Agustin Goytisolo


You can't turn back
because life now pushes you
like an unending howl.

My daughter it's better to live
with the happiness of man
than cry before the blind wall.

You'll feel entrapped.
You'll feel lost or alone.
Maybe you'll wish you were never born.

I know very well that they'll tell you
that life has no object
that it's a disgraceful affair.

Then always remember
what I wrote you one day
thinking of you like I think of you now.

Life is beautiful, you'll soon see
that despite all of the hardship
you'll have friends, you'll have love.

One man alone, one woman
taken this way, one by one
are like dust, they are nothing.

But when I speak to you
when I write you these words
I think also of other people.

Your destiny is with the others
your future is your own life
your dignity is that of everyone.

Others hope that you resist,
that your happiness aids them
your song among their songs.

Then always remember
what I wrote you one day
thinking of you like I think of you now.

Never give up or go off
on the side of the road, never say
I can't anymore, I'm staying here.

Life is beautiful, you'll soon see
that despite all of the hardship
you'll have friends, you'll have love.

For everything else, there's no choice
and this world, just the way it is
will be your legacy.
Forgive me, I don't know anything else
to tell you, but understand
That I am still on the road.

Then always remember
what I wrote you one day
thinking of you like
I think of you now.

That is lovely! Thank you Caminante!

But...am I the only one seeing Japanese characters where accented letters should be?

Nicole, Glad you enjoyed it. I see the accents fine.

Thank you caminante - lovely poem - and I have already shared it!

I love that poem, I could read it in the line six of the Madrid´s subway, in the "Metro" of Madrid a lot of poems and little tales are fixed to the trains and walls, so you can read them in your trip...

Nicole

I'm getting some weird characters too - can't describe them - sort of Eastern European things. They show up on the Spanish version of the poem, then the English version is fine.

Actually I have been noticing this a lot recently. It's quite frustrating. Have I got a problem with my PC, or has MM done something nasty to us? (As if)

Jo-Anne

I don't see anything on my computer... it looks good to me... both the English and Spanish version... ummm, that's strange.
-roses

I too am seeing all the accented characters without problem.

Nicole, where in the world are you?? Are you in the USA or somewhere else? (sorry, I don't remember and it's not in your profile)

[ 05-25-2001: Message edited by: MadridMan ]

I can now see the accents properly. I blame one of the younger members of this household for faffing about and changing the encoding from Western European to 'Baltic' It all looks a lot better now.

Nicole - maybe you need to change your encoding from Japanese?

Jo