I love poetry, generally prefer poetry rich in metaphor and allusions, this set is more direct (though containing a number of nice mythological references)... But this slim volume is one of the most touching, sad and beautiful books I've ever read...
In "Sorrow," Claribel Alegria has created poetry of great beauty and power. This is a bilingual edition, with each of Alegria's Spanish poems accompanied by Carolyn Forche's English translations.
All the poems in this collection grew out of the the poet's grief when she lost her husband. Her voice comes from a space deep within and is immediate.
In Sorrow, a long time proponent of civil rights in Central America, plumbs the depths of grief and wrests hope from pain and memory in lyrics written as love letters to her deceased husband. These poems not only summon their shared past in vivid detail, but also ponder the meaning of death and separation, as well as the yearning for eventual reunion.
I went out searching for you
crossing valleys
and mountains
ploughing distant seas
asking of the clouds
and the wind your whereabouts
it was useless
useless
you were within me.
This collection was written as Claribel Alegria went on a month-long trip through Asia that she'd planned with her husband, who had died before they were able to go.
This collection of poetry primarily deals with the poet's feelings of loss after the death of her husband. Beautiful in both the Spanish and English that it is printed in.
