Although there are very few people in this world who has never once tasted potato puree, French fries, baked potato with cream or yogurt or potato salad, but not every one knows that the potato had been cultivated around Lake Titicaca, between Peru and Bolivia about 10,000 years ago and that specimens of it have been discovered in some caves called Tres Ventanas (Thee Windows) in Chilca about 65 KM south of Lima and had been dated to more than 8000 years BC! Together with the maize, the potato was the staple of the Incas. The potato was first introduced to Spain in the 16th Century with the discovery of America and has since spread to France , Germany , England . There are more than 3,000 varieties of potato in Peru , its place of origin! I have already translated Neruda's Oda a las papa fritas. But I just discovered another one on the potato itself. It is much much longer and has not yet been fried! Here it is with my translations.
Oda a la papa Ode to the papa 薯仔頌
Papa Papa 薯仔
te llamas, you're called 你叫
Papa Papa 薯仔
y no patata, and not potato, 而不是馬鈐薯，
no naciste con barba, you were not born with a beard, 你出生時沒有鬍鬚，
no eres castellana: you are not a Castilian: 你不是加士廸人：
eres oscura you are dark 你黝黑
como like 猶
nuestra piel, our skin, 我們皮膚，
somos americanos, we are americans, 我們是美洲人，
Papa, Papa, 薯仔，
somos indios. we are indigenous. 我們是土著。
Profunda You are 你是
y suave eres, deep and delicate. 深藏不露和細緻，
pulpa, pura, purísima pure pulp, purest 純，漿 ，極純
rosa blanca white rose 白玫瑰
enterra, buried, 埋藏地下，
floresces you flourish 你在哪開花
allá adentro there within 在泥土
en la tierra, the earth, 中，
en tu lluviosa in your rainy 在你滿灌雨水的
tierra orginal 源
originaria, soil, 土，
en las islas mojadas in the drenched islands 在風雨中智利
de Chile tempestuoso, of tempestuous Chile, 濕漉漉之眾孤島 ，
en Chiloé marino, in the maritime Chiloe, 在海邊的歌拉魯爾，
en medio de la esmeralda que abre amidst the emerald which sheds 在那向南洋
su luz verde its green light 裸露其綠光的
sobre el austral océano. over the southern ocean 翡翠中。
Papa, Papa 薯仔，
materia sweet 甜絲絲的
dulce, material, 物料，
alemendra the almond 大地
de of 之
la tierra, the earth, 扁桃，
la madre the mother 在那兒
allí there 母親
no tuvo didn't have 沒有
metal muerto, deadly metal, 可置死的金屬 ，
allí en la oscura there in the shadowy 在那兒
suavidad de las islas softness of the islands, 在孤島幽暗之温柔中
no dispuso you didn't handle 沒有
el cobre y sus volcanes copper and its submerged 銅和潛藏的
sumergidos, volcanoes, 火山，
ni la crueldad azul nor the cruel blue 亦沒有錳那
del manganeso, of manganese, 綠色的無情，
sino que con su mano, but with its hands, 你以手
como en un nido as in a nest 猶如在鳥窩，
en la humedad más suave, in a softer humidity, 更温柔的濕潤中，
colocó tus redomas, you placed your roundabouts, 疏理你的迥旋處，
y cuando and when 而當
el trueno the thunder 黑色
de la guerra of the black 戰
negra, war, 雷，
España inquisitive 西班牙的
inquisidora, Spain. 好奇，
negra como águila de sepultura, black as a sepulcral eagle, 黑如墓穴之鷹，
buscó el oro salvaje found the savage gold 在亞拉鳥干尼亞
en la matriz in the burning 那熾熱
quemante womb 子宮
de la Araucanía , of Araucania, 尋找那兇狠的黃金，
sus uñas their greedy 他們貪婪的
codiciosas fingers 手指
fueron extermindas, were killed, 被截，
sus capitanes, their captains, 他們的上校，
muertos, dead, 死去，
pero cuando a las piedras de Castilla but when they returned 但當他們重返
regresaron to the rocks of Castile 加士廸的亂石時
los pobres capitanes derrotados, the poor defeated captains, 那些戰敗的可憐上校，
levantaron en las manos sangrientas lifted in their bloody hands, 升起在他們血染之手中的
no una copa de oro not a cup of gold 不是金杯
sino la papa but the potato 而是歌拉魯爾海旁的
de Chiloé marino. of maritime Chiloe . 薯仔。
(To be continued)
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