miércoles, 10 de septiembre de 2014

Antología Poética Rafael Pombo

Rafael Pombo RinRin Froggie Goes Partying – Free version in English by Luis Zalamea

 Personable and dapper,
RinRin Froggie.
Big Mom Toad’s kid.
emerged this a.m.
from their pond
dressed to kill
in Bermuda shorts,
gaudy cravat,
round Derby hat
and mini-cutaway.
“Hey, boy, stay home!”
bellows Big Mom.
Ignoring her command,
he fastens his exit.
On the road, he meets
Junior Mouse,
a friendly neighbor,
who bids him to join  
a fun party at Miss Mouse’s
where there’s always
plenty of booze and grub.
 
Led by the playboy rodent,
they soon arrive at her door,
and Junior Mouse
knocks with elegant flair
and greets their  hostess:
“At your feet, Miss Mouse.
Are you home for visitors?”
 
“Yes indeed, my dear boy,
and  most pleased to see you.
I was busy at my craft
spinning cotton,
but that doesn’t matter:
welcome both to my home.”
 
They smile, bow, shake hands,
and Junior, apt at such things,
breaks the ice:
 “Please, Miss, offer some beer
to my green-hued chum
who’s hot and thirsty to boot.”
 
While errant boy RinRin
empties a pitcher of brew,
the hostess brings out a guitar
and begs him to sing
happy lyrics, elegant tunes.
 
“I’ll be delighted, Miss,
but right now my throat
is parched like dry burlap
and my new clothes
a bit too tight.”
“I’m sorry about your plight,”
cajoles Miss Mouse,
“Please loosen tie and vest
while I sing in your honor
a most singular tune.”
In the midst of this joyful
soirée of of beer, dance.
guitar and singing,
Mamma Cat and her kittens
troop in trough the door,  
and mayhem ensues:
Mamma grabs Junior
by an ear, mewing “Hallo!”
and the kittens take hold
of Miss Mouse
by her paws and her tail.
 
In the face of such invasion,
RinRin puts on his hat,
opens the door
with his paws and snout,
bids all a fine evening,
and takes a colossal leap.
 
He keeps leaping
so fast and so high
that he looses his hat,
tears to pieces his shirt,
and plump!
Lands inside the beak
of a glutton duck
that swallows him
in one gulp. 
 
So, one, two, three,
Junior and Miss Mouse
meet their end first,
followed by RinRin Froggie:
the cats dined,
the duck supped,
and Big Mom Toad
was left all alone.

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