Neruda's Oda a la papa (Ode to the papa 薯仔頌)2

Honrada eres                                       You are honest                                                     你是誠實的   

como                                                   like                                                                       猶如

un                                                        a                                                                           一隻

mano                                                   hand                                                                     在泥土工作中的

que trabaja en la tierra,                        which works on the soil,                                        手，

familiar                                                you are                                                                  你猶若 

eres como                                            familiar like                                                           一只母雞般

una gallina,                                          a hen,                                                                    那麽尋常， 

compacta como un queso                    compact like a cheese                                             如大地

que la tierra elabora                             which the soil made                                                在她滿載營養的

en sus ubres                                         in its nutritious                                                        乳頭歌頌的乳酪般

nutricias,                                              udders,                                                                   結實，

enemiga del hambre,                            enemy of hunger,                                                   饑餓之敵

en todas las naciones                             in all the nations                                                     你勝利的

se enterró tu bandera                            your conquering flag                                              旗幟

vencedora                                             is buried                                                                 埋藏在各國地下，

y pronto allí,                                         and quickly there                                                    而很快地在那裡，                 

en el frío o en la costa                           in the cold or the                                                     在寒冷中或在那 

quemada,                                              burning coast,                                                          炎熱的海邊，

apareció                                                your anonymous                                                     你無名之

tu flor                                                    flower                                                                     花朵

anónima                                                appears                                                                    出現，

anunciano la espesa                               announcing the thick                                               宣報他根部那

y suave                                                  and smooth                                                              厚而幼嫩之

natalidad de sus raíces.                           birth of its roots.                                                      誕生。

 

Universal delicia,                                   Universal delight                                                      普世之歡欣，

no esperabas                                          you did not expect                                                    你沒料到

mi canto                                                 my song                                                                   我這首歌

porque eres sorda                                   because you are deaf                                                因你啞

y ciega                                                    and blind                                                                 與瞎

y enterrada.                                            and buried.                                                               和埋藏地下。

Apenas                                                   You can hardly                                                         在油之

si hablas en el infierno                            talk in the hell                                                           地獄中

del aceite                                                 of oil                                                                        或在

o cantas                                                   or sing                                                                      港口吉他旁

en las freidurías                                       in the fried-food stalls                                               的炸物店中

de los puertos                                          of the ports                                                               你那來時間

cerca de las guitarras,                               close by the guitars,                                                  說話或歌唱，

silenciosa,                                                silent,                                                                        沈默，

harina de la noche                                    flour                                                                         地下

subterránea,                                              of the subterrean night,                                            黑夜之麪粉，

tesoro interminable                                   the everlasting treasure                                             所有人

de los pueblos.                                         of all peoples.                                                            永有之玫寶。

In this poem, Neruda sings his praises to the common potato, which he calls the "everlasting or endless treasuree" of all the people of the world. He talks of the history of its discovery by the gold-thirsty greed of the Spanish conquistators of South America who brought back, not gold but something much better, something which serves the common people instead of something which satisfied only the need for obstenation of kings, nobility and the wealthy: the potato which in South America is called papa instead of patata as it is called in Spain.  The blood of the consquistors have flowered in the form of a buried treasure which benefits the poor of the world, in a way which they could never have imagined when they stepped on to the Spanish galleon crossing the Atlantic in the hope that they would be heading towards China! In this poem, we also got an inkling of the pride that Neruda takes in being South American as distinct from being a Castellan, which is the mother tongue of the modern Spaniards.