| Todos los días lo encontraba
| Every day I found it
|
| en el mismo autobús, el mismo viaje.
| on the same bus, the same trip.
|
| Le oía platicar y nos hablaba
| He heard him talk and spoke to us
|
| de las calles de Boedo en Buenos Aires.
| of the streets of Boedo in Buenos Aires.
|
| Tardes de truco y los amigos,
| Afternoon tricks and friends,
|
| los pibes, la vieja y esas noches
| the kids, the old woman and those nights
|
| de diciembre en el portal de cada casa.
| December in the portal of each house.
|
| Y era todo tan suave como un roce.
| And it was all as smooth as a touch.
|
| Su soliloquio oíamos, entre paradas,
| His soliloquy we heard, between stops,
|
| y Argentina, despacito, se colaba
| and Argentina, slowly, slipped in
|
| en la mañana fría y los viajeros
| in the cold morning and the travelers
|
| sonreían escuchando sus palabras.
| They smiled listening to his words.
|
| Nos hablaba del temor y la miseria,
| He spoke to us of fear and misery,
|
| de la crisis que ennegrece estos días
| of the crisis that darkens these days
|
| y recordaba antes de que todo estallara:
| and he remembered before everything exploded:
|
| él tuvo planes, futuro, toda una vida.
| he had plans, a future, a lifetime.
|
| Y el autobús callaba y de repente
| And the bus was silent and suddenly
|
| habitábamos todos un colectivo
| we all inhabited a collective
|
| recorriendo, cansado, Buenos Aires,
| touring, tired, Buenos Aires,
|
| por las calles de un Madrid lleno de frío.
| through the streets of a Madrid full of cold.
|
| Ahora, decía, estaba bárbaro:
| Now, he said he, he was barbaric:
|
| tenía un buen laburo y ya su jefe
| he had a good job and already his boss
|
| le había prometido que muy pronto
| he had promised her that very soon
|
| le arreglaría todos los papeles.
| he would arrange all the papers for her.
|
| Y muy pronto los pibes y la vieja
| And very soon the kids and the old woman
|
| se vendrían acá. | they would come here |
| Todo se arregla.
| Everything is fixed.
|
| «Cuestión de confianza», nos decía.
| "A matter of trust," he told us.
|
| El futuro ha de venir en primavera.
| The future must come in spring.
|
| Y me parece oír un dulce tango,
| And I think I hear a sweet tango,
|
| y no sé si eres vos o si sos tú,
| and I don't know if it's you or if it's you,
|
| entre el yira o tal vez la última curda,
| between the yira or perhaps the last curda,
|
| tenés el corazón mirando al sur.
| you have the heart facing south.
|
| Cada mañana nos toca leer
| Every morning we have to read
|
| nuevas leyes contra el viajero que llega.
| new laws against the arriving traveller.
|
| Entonces pienso en él. | Then I think of him. |
| Ruego a los dioses
| I pray to the gods
|
| que guarden su camino y lo protejan.
| that they guard their way from him and protect him.
|
| No lo hemos vuelto a ver. | We have not seen him again. |
| Hará
| will do
|
| tres meses desde el tiempo en que decía
| three months from the time he said
|
| que se sentía tan bien acá en España…
| that he felt so good here in Spain...
|
| igual que si estuviera en su Argentina. | as if he were in his Argentina. |