La Primavera Ha Venido -- Spanish Springtime

While teaching first grade yesterday I found this poem on the homeroom teacher's desk. I smiled because I had studied it in one of my Spanish literature classes in college. The poet is an Andalucian writer, Antonio Machado. For those who don't know Spanish, this specific poem is about the coming of spring in March. I feel lucky to be able to actually see what had inspired his words here in Andalucia right now.

While my Minnesota self was lucky to spend one winter away from constant snow, ice and car towing catastrophes on the beaches of Southern Spain, I have become weak. I wear a jacket when it's 60 degrees out and the rest of my new weaknesses I am too ashamed to share. Either way, spring has come here, and no matter what the location is in the world, it just seems to happen one day, which is why I love this poem.

The first two lines compose an extremely popular Spanish saying which translates to:

"Spring has come
Nobody knows how"

I challenge the rest of you to check out the entire poem in Spanish.

La Primavera

La primavera ha venido.

Nadie sabe cómo ha sido.
La primavera ha venido.
¡Aleluyas blancas
de los zarzales floridos!

Nubes, sol, prado verde y caserío
en la loma, revueltos. Primavera
puso en el aire de este campo frío
la gracia de sus chopos de ribera
Los caminos del valle van al río
y allí, junto al agua, amor espera

Tejidos sois de primavera,amantes,
de tierra y agua y viento y sol tejidos.
La sierra en vuestros ojos los campos florecidos,
pasead vuestra mutua primavera,
y aún bebed sin temor la dulce leche
que os brida hoy la lúbrica pantera,
antes que, torva, en el camino aceche.

Tú y yo, silenciosamente,
trabajamos , compañera,
en esta noche de marzo,
hilo a hilo, letra a letra
¡con cuánto amor! mientras duerme
el campo de primavera

La primavera besaba
suavemente la arboleda,
y el verde nuevo brotaba
como una verde humareda.
Las nubes iban pasando
sobre el campo juvenil...

-- Antonio Machado

I'm going to the beach now.

Kenzie Shea