Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer -Rima XCIII. Si copia tu frente...-

Rima XCIII. Si copia tu frente...

Si copia tu frente
del río cercano la pura corriente
y miras tu rostro del amor encendido,
soy yo, que me escondo
del agua en el fondo
y, loco de amores, a amar te convido;
soy yo, que, en tu pecho buscada morada,
envío a tus ojos mi ardiente mirada,
mi blanca divina...
y el fuego que siento la faz te ilumina.

Si en medio del valle
en tardo se trueca tu amor animado,
vacila tu planta, se pliega tu talle...
soy yo, dueño amado,
que, en no vistos lazos
de amor anhelante, te estrecho en mis brazos;
soy yo quien te teje la alfombra florida
que vuelve a tu cuerpo la fuerza de la vida;
soy yo, que te sigo
en alas del viento soñando contigo.

Si estando en tu lecho
escuchas acaso celeste armonía
que llena de goces tu cándido pecho,
soy yo, vida mía...;
soy yo, que levanto
al cielo tranquilo mi férvido canto;
soy yo, que, los aires cruzando ligero
por un ignorado, movible sendero,
ansioso de calma,
sediento de amores, penetro en tu alma.


Rhyme XCIII. If the clear current...

If the clear current
of the nearby stream replicates your features
and you see a face on fire with love,
it is I who hide
in the depths of the water
and, crazed with love, invite you to love;
it is I who seek to dwell in your bosom,
send to your eyes my ardent glance,
my divine white...
and light up your face with the fire I feel.

If in the middle of the valley
you slowly get confused by your lively passion,
your figure totters, your waist bends...
It is I, beloved mistress,
who, in unseen loops
of gasping love, clasp you in my arms;
it is I who weave the flowery carpet
that restores to your body the force of life;
it is I, who follow
you dreaming, on wings of the wind.

If lying in your bed
listening perhaps to celestial harmonies
that fill your innocent bosom with rapture,
it is I, my life...
it is I, who raise
to the tranquil sky my impassioned song;
it is I who, treading the air lightly
by a forgotten, shifting path
eager for relief,
thirsty for love, penetrate into your soul.

Translated by H. Landman