|
In
Memoriam (7)
 De
revolutionary poet Ernesto Rafael Guevara de la Serna, later
predominantly known under the name ‘Che’, was born on the 14th
of June 1928 in the township Rosario in Argentina. He was the
eldest in a family that had five children. Only two years old he
caught a rare form of asthma that would torture him the rest of
his life. This however didn’t keep him from leading an active
life. As a young man he travelled through the whole of the
continent of South America and as an adult he emerged in diverging
countries as Cuba, Congo and Bolivia. He was always on the
look-out for inspiration for new poems. He always had his pencil
ready. Besides his poems he also published a diary and some
political texts. While seeking inspiration in the nature of
Bolivia, he was cowardly murdered on the 8th of October
by the CIA. This organisation appears to have not only a deep
loathing for democratically elected presidents (Salvador Allende
is a case in point) but also for poets.
In
the memory of the poet Che, Commietravel here presents a fragment
of the poetic text of the song that the famous Cuban community
singer Carlos Pueblo wrote about him while he was still alive, the
beautiful Hasta Siempre from 1965.
Aprendimos
a quererte desde la historia altura
Donde
el sol de tu bravura le puso cerco a la muerte
Aqui
se queda la clara, la entranable transparencia
De
tu querida presencia, comandante Che Guevara.
We
learned to love you since the youngest history
Where
the sun of your bravery brought you close the death
Here
is the clarity, the longed for transparency
Of
your beloved presence, commander Che Guevara. |
