The Aconcagua
translated from the Spanish by Aaron Coleman
The Aconcagua. Beast,
solemn and frigid. Head
white with eyes of motionless stone.
Travels in slow herds
with other similar animals
through rock-strewn desolations.
In the night,
its soft, heavy lips graze
the cold hands of the moon.
El Aconcagua
El Aconcagua. Bestia
solemne y frígida. Cabeza
blanca y ojos de piedra fija.
Anda en lentos rebaños
con otros animales semejantes
por entre rocallosos desamparos.
En la noche,
roza con belfo blando
las manos frías de la luna.
Nicolas Guillén, “The Aconcagua” / “El Aconcagua” from The Great Zoo, translated by Aaron Coleman. © 2023 by Nicolás Guillén. Translation © 2024 by Aaron Coleman. Reprinted by permission of The University of Chicago Press and the Estate of Nicolás Guillén. All rights reserved.
Nicolás Guillén
Nicolás Guillén was born in Camagüey, Cuba, on July 10, 1902. His father, Nicolás Guillén Urra, was a journalist who later became a senator. Guillén Urra was killed by opposing political forces in 1917. As a young adult, Guillén found work as a typesetter to support his family. He graduated from the Institute of Camagüey with a bachelor’s degree in letters and sciences. He then entered the University of Havana’s School of Law, but dropped out in 1921 to write poetry.