Salvador Novo was born in Mexico City in 1904, and died in 1974. He was the founder, together with Xavier Villaurrutia, of the magazines Ulises (1927) y Contemporáneos (1928), and actively participated in the early twentieth century revival of Mexican literature.
Tema de Amor
Dentro de estos cuatro muros
pretendí ocultar mi dicha:
Pero el fruto, pero el aire
¿cómo me los guardaría?
Hora mejor que pospuse,
voces que eran para mí,
camino que no elegí
destino que no dispuse;
¡cómo os volvisteis oscuros!
¡qué amargo vuestro sabor
cuando nos encerró mi amor
dentro de estos cuatro muros!
Entre tu aurora y mi ocaso
el Tiempo desaparecía
y era nuestra y era mía
sangre, labio, vino y vaso.
En perdurar se encapricha
mi sombra junto a tu luz
y bajo negro capuz
pretendí ocultar mi dicha.
Pero el fruto, pero el aire,
pero el Tiempo que no fluya,
pero la presencia tuya
fuerte, joven, dulce, grande;
sangre tuya en vena mía,
lazos a instantes maduros,
dentro de estos cuatro muros
cómo me los guardaría?
Theme of love
Within these four walls
I tried to hide my happiness:
But the fruit, but the air
how could I keep them?
The better hour postponed,
voices that were for me,
the path I did not choose
destiny that I did not fix;
how dark you turned!
how hard to swallow
when my love locked us
within four walls!
Between your dawn and my death
time disappeared
and she was ours and she was mine
blood, lip, wine and glass.
In lasting glamour
my shade next to your light
and under your black hood
I tried to hide my happiness.
But the fruit, but the air,
but time does not flow,
but your presence
hard, young, sweet, immense;
your blood in my vein,
bends to consider,
within these four walls
how could I keep them?
More information on Salvador Novo can be found here:
http://www.los-poetas.com/poetas/bionovo.htm
