Poems for children by Juan Guinea Díaz and José García Velázquez

Translated by Michelle Cheng.

Juan Guinea Díaz’s poems emphasize the sound devices such as rhythm and rhyme, which is a common characteristic in children’s poetry because it helps to capture their attention. Therefore, it is my priority to reproduce the phonetic characteristics when translating his poems. In a situation that requires me to make a decision between a word that preserves the meaning and a word that rhymes, I would certainly choose the second one.

The poem of José García Velázquez stresses imagination and imagery. Even though his poem also has a rhyming pattern, it is much weaker than the ones in Díaz’s poems. However, Velázquez’s poem incorporates more imagination and sophisticated concepts. Therefore, I chose to sacrifice the rhyme to better convey the meaning and imagination.

Source texts: “Mi regalo para mamá,” “Mi padre,” “Mis manos,” “Abuela hechicera, abuela cocinera,” “Las recetas de la abuela hechicera”, “Viaje a Fantasía”.

JUAN GUINEA DÍAZ

Presents for my mother
By Juan Guinea Díaz

a present I give to my mother
a shimmering smile like silver
which makes my face look brighter
when at night, darkness covers me over

a present I give to my mother
a hood of the color that couldn’t be redder
to thank her for the tale she told and retold-
a story that I heard with wonder

a present I give to my mother
a fragrance to make the air fresher
to thank her for her comforting hand
that takes my pain away like painkiller

a present I give to my mother
an armed army with archers
to protect her from the frightening monster
that in my nightmare makes me wish I could run faster

A present I give to my mother
The language of the elves
To understand what I say
When no one else understands it other than ourselves

A present I give to my mother
A hat from a magical performer
In which my kisses are filled and wrapped
as a present to my mother

Grandmother, the sorcerer; grandmother, the cooking master
By Juan Guinea Díaz

If there is someone in this universe
who is the greatest sorcerer
she is definitely my grandmother:
sorcerer and the cooking master!

She has a recipe book that’s timeless
With which nothing would be tasteless
from salad with citrus
to charms for princess

The spells hidden
between soups and muffins,
so they won’t be stolen
and only I would know them!

Sometimes my grandmother
allows me to read what she wrote
of all her notes
these are my favorite quotes:

Recipe on how to kill a pirate:
Feed him a fillet buried in maggots
he will choke on vomit

recipe on how to kill a dragon:
why killing a dragon?
To have his tooth as a weapon!

Recipe on how to kill a witch:
Steal her cat like a snitch,
and her sorrow will give her a twitch;
if you return it before your conscience itch
she will turn into a good witch!

Recipe on how to kill a coyote:
Take the pirate we saw before,
Dress him up in a housecoat,
and the coyote will laugh till he burns his throat!

Recipe on how to kill an ogre:
Ask the good witch to give him a flower
and with a love poem that takes away his breath like a killer.

Recipe on how to end the wars:
Don’t kill the laughers anymore,
and throw a big party on the shore
invite the dragon, the ogre,
the pirate and an orchestra to the dance floor.

My clean hands
By Juan Guinea Díaz

I rinse my hands after playing
and take a towel for drying.
I dry all my fingers, including the pinkies
so they’re soft and clean, ready for the cookies

My father
By Juan Guinea Díaz

If a black vampire haunts me at night
or a witch wants to eat me alive
if I see a few bogeys following me in the lamplight
or lions with a big appetite arrive
my father,
with his big hands,
embraces me firmly,
always protecting me,
giving me a rub on my tummy,
kisses me on my forehead,
and guards me from the monsters I see when I am dreamy.
(My father takes care of me
Without feeling drowsy)

If behind the curtain the snakes hide
or a big dinosaur waiting to attack.
if the crocodiles are going to open his mouth wide
or a pirate wants to throw me into the sea like a sack.

(Repetition)

my father,
with his big hands,
embraces me firmly,
always protecting me,
giving me a rub on my tummy,
kisses me on my forehead,
and guards me from the monsters I see when I am dreamy.
(My father takes care of me
Without feeling drowsy)

JOSÉ GARCÍA VELÁZQUEZ

A trip to the wonderland
By José García Velázquez

In the soothing sunset I travel
Through the portal of poetry
To magical places and the kingdom of fantasy
where dreams become real

on the beach chair I rest
without an action my adventure begins
from neuron to neuron
my imagination flows

returning to the old days of my childhood
when life was tender and happy
the memory that almost faded
comes alive suddenly
the aromas of the past linger

in the dusty corners of my brain
I meet people who only exist in tales:
witches, dragons, princesses

colors swirl and dance with musical notes
smells mix with floral adornments

An imaginary flight takes me to the place
where strange beings seem to rest,
safe from curious and aggressive eyes,
far from the perverse and offensive words.

Here,
Everything is amiable
Love is within every breath
If only this dream would last!