Juicio
¡Oh sorpresa de nieve desceñida,
vigilante, invasora!
Voces veladas, por robar la aurora,
te llevan detenida.
Ya el fallo de la luz hunde su grito,
juez de sombra, en tu nada.
(Y en el mundo una estrella fue apagada.
Otra, en el infinito.)
Judgement
Oh, surprise of fallen snow,
vigilant, invasive!
Rafael Alberti (1902-1999) was one of the most significant members of the group of writers known as the Generación del 27. His first book, Marinero en tierra, earned the author a Premio Nacional de Literatura in 1924. Before the end of the Spanish Civil War, he was forced into exile, though he returned to Spain following the country’s transition to democracy. A multi-talented artist, he also produced works for theatre, memoirs, and paintings. The many awards he received include the Premio Cervantes (1983).
John Murillo is the author of the poetry collections Up Jump the Boogie (Cypher 2010, Four Way Books 2020), and Kontemporary Amerikan Poetry (Four Way 2020), winner of the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. Murillo’s poems have appeared in American Poetry Review, Poetry, and Best American Poetry. Currently, he is an associate professor of Englis and director of the creative writing program at Wesleyan University.