“Meditación”

Meditación by Joaquina García Balmaseda, translated by Griffin Brown.

When the fragrant flower

Closes its petals,

And the clouds exude 

A vivid light

And the zephyr, murmuring,

Hidden in the dense foliage,

Bids a sorrowful goodbye

To the wilting sun;

And a solitary dove,

With a yearning song,

Shares its laments

With the silent air

And a melancholic tinge 

Spreads deep through the valley,

Until the auroral moon 

Comes to illuminate it…

Here is a placid instant,

Thick with mysterious charm,

Where all breathe indefinable love;

A moment where the spirit

Finds a mysterious sweetness

Deep in its grieving sorrow,

A true consolation;

Which, like a heavenly balm, 

Soothes the pain,

And softens the bitterness 

That’s rooted in its saddened heart:

That, in this placid instant

The soul is uplifted, 

And reaches the throne of God 

In fervent prayer!