I am not I
Juan Ramón Jiménez was a Spanish poet, who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1956.- In his words – Literature is a state of culture, poetry is a state of grace, before and after culture.
I reckon this poem is about the fact that we rarely reveal our true personalities. Our outward facade is often misinterpreted by others and is sometimes deliberately altered by ourselves to fit in with conventional mores
I am not I.
I am this one
walking beside me whom I do not see,
whom at times I manage to visit,
and whom at other times I forget;
the one who remains silent while I talk,
the one who forgives, sweet, when I hate,
the one who takes a walk when I am indoors,
the one who will remain standing when I die.
By- Juan Ramón Jiménez (1881-1958)
From Lorca and Jiménez: Selected Poems Translation
© Robert Bly. Beacon Press.
on 05 Nov 2009 at 10:23 pm 1.Michele said …
My take:
“The one who will remain standing IN SILENCE when I die.”
Elegant poem Ajay…Thank you.