Translated by Abigail Parry and Serafina Vick.

Today’s poem is Fertile Truce the title poem from Legna Rodríguez Iglesias’ 2012 collection. It was translated for the PTC in 2019 by the award-winning poet Abigail Parry and the Havana based writer Serafina Vick.

The poem refers to the national flower of Cuba, the Mariposa or white ginger lily. Also in this poem, you will hear the use of the English term ‘grandfather’ in place of the Spanish ‘Abuelo’
This plays on the idea of foreign intrusion and interference:
a vexed issue for Cuba’s revolutionary generation.

You can buy our collection of Legna Rodríguez Iglesias’ work from our online store.

The Dual Poetry Podcast is one poem in two languages from the Poetry Translation Centre. Please take a moment to rate and review this podcast on iTunes or wherever you download.