Rosalia de Castro - Into the Tomb

RP says: after yesterday’s fiery rant from Mr. Ball here is a sombre verse from Rosalia, loosely translated by your humble peasant.
Rosalia is eulogising an English soldier who died in battle against the French on Galician soil.



Into the Silent Tomb.    

Cuan lonxe, canto, das escuras niebras,
Dos verdes pinos, das ferventas olas
Que on nacer viron! …..dos paternos lares
Do ceo da patria que o alumou mimoso
Dos sitios, ai! Do seu querer, !que lexos!
Viu a caer, baixo enemigo golpe
Pra nunca mais levantar, coitado!
Morrer asin en estranxeiras plaias,
Morrer tan moxo, abandona-la vida
Non farto ainda de vivir e ansiando
Gustar da  froita que coidado houbera!
I en vez de ponlas do loureiro altivo
Que do heroe a testa varonil coroan
Baixar a tomba silenciosa e muda!



How far, far away from the dark smothering fogs,
Far from the green pine trees and the wild foaming waves,
That witnessed his birth!….far away from his father’s hearth,
Far from England’s grey sky, that cradled him with its gentle light,
To come here to fall beneath the foe’s merciless blow,
Never to rise up again, poor fallen hero!
To die like that, on our foreign shore,
To die so young, leaving behind his life,
Not him, worn and weary; still eager
To taste the fruit he would have husbanded,
And instead of placing upon him the victor’s laurel wreath,
That proudly crowns the hero’s manly brow,
He is lowered into the silent speechless tomb.