CÉSAR CHÁVEZ by Alma Flora Ada
César, amigo del campesino,
César, que dignificas nuestra labor.
César, abriendo siempre nuevo camino,
César, para el honrado trabajador.
SOURCE: DÍAS Y DÍAS DE POESÍA by Alma Flor Ada, ISBN 0917837878, (1991) p. 127. Available from Hampton-Brown. On this page you will also find an excellent short profile written in Spanish about César Chávez and "la causa."
CÉSAR CHÁVEZ by Alma Flora Ada
(English translation by Rosa Zubizarreta)
Ya tus pasos no cruzan Your steps no longer cross
los campos polvorientos the dusty fields
ni los alumbras con tu buena voz Where your strong voice once shone
pero tu ejemplo Yet your example
y tu palabra And your words
retoñan en los surcos Sprout anew in the field rows
en brotes de callada esperanza. As seedlings of quiet hope.
SOURCE: GATHERING THE SUN: AN ALPHABET IN SPANISH AND ENGLISH by Alma Flor Ada; Harper Collins, (1997)
POETRY LESSON
writing a poem about a farmworker
BILINGUAL POEM BY TRINIDAD SÁNCHEZ, JR.
Comments from Ruth Kunstader, Montclair, New Jersey, producer of Spanish videos with ¡Sabor Latino! for teachers of young children - http://www.chispaproductions.com
and La Tertulia, a blog on Spanish language and culture -
"While visiting my favorite city, San Antonio, ... I had the amazing pleasure to meet the bilingual poet, Trinidad Sánchez, Jr. (Google him to see all his accomplishments.) He has just published a really wonderful new collection of bilingual poems, called "Jalapeño Blues") ... http://www.floricantopress.com or Amazon.com
TRINIDAD SÁNCHEZ
died from complications
following a stroke in late July 2006.
Que en paz descanse.
May he rest in peace.
CÉSAR CHÁVEZ, FARM WORKER ORGANIZER
No machine can harvest
delicate leafy lettuce,
the low, hidden melons,
the oval cradles of
newborn almonds,
or those green and purple
clusters of coolness -- grapes.
It takes a mindful hand
to reach for and pull close
such plenty for the orchard owner.
Buy why, asked César Chávez,
in this land of California dreams,
must our children suffer
the nightmare of pesticides
and their parents wake without rights or decent wages.
Tractors have barns,
animals have stalls,
but the migrant worker
has nowhere to lay his head.
Where's Eden in these gardens
of San Joaquim Valley?
And the hands that picked the grapes,
joined in number,
rallied and held up posters,
and the feet that trod
down field rows,
led by César,
marched together.
He gave new dignity to the farmworker,
a strong union to lead the way.
Will you join with César Chávez's friends,
like Dolores Huerta,
in making things better today?
I RECEIVED A COPY OF THE PRECEDING POEM WITHOUT AN AUTHOR. CAN SOMEONE HELP ME LOCATE THE SOURCE?
THANKS. GRACIAS.
Argentine singer and song writer, Suni Paz of Del Sol Books writes "I have a poem ... that a student of Alma Flor Ada sent me. I loved that poem that reminded me of Víctor’s Jara (Chilean, singer, songwriter, whose hands were cut by the Chilean military in the Stadium in Chile) Plegaría a un labrador. I put music to César Chávez lyrics so as to be able to introduce César to Spanish audiences who still don’t know who he is. I ... wrote the music a few weeks ago and therefore, it is not recorded yet. I just gave four presentations (one replacing a Keynote Speaker) for the "Our Diverse World Conference" and in each presentation I gave people a copy of César Chávez words. We also sung it together. People had tears in their eyes. It was very moving."
ORACIÓN DEL CAMPESINO EN LA LUCHA
Taller de Suni Paz
©1990 Letra de César Chávez
©2006, Música de Suni Paz Records
Enséñame el sufrimiento de los más desafortunados
Porque así conoceré el dolor de mi pueblo.
Ayúdame a orar por todos los demás
Así estás presente en cada persona.
Ayúdame a tomar responsabilidad por mi propia vida
Sólo así seré libre al fin.
Concédeme valentía para servir al prójimo
Porque en la entrega hay vida verdadera.
Concédeme honradez, concédeme paciencia
Para que yo pueda trabajar junto a los trabajadores.
Alúmbranos con el canto y la celebración
Para que levantemos el espíritu entre nosotros.
Que el espíritu florezca y el espíritu crezca
Para que no nos cansemos de la lucha.
Nos acordamos de los caídos por la justicia
Porque a nosotros han entregado sus vidas.
Ayúdanos a amar aún a los que nos odian
Así podemos cambiar el mundo.
Amén, amén, amén.
LA MUERTE DE UN ÁGUILA
In San Luis, Arizona
el arco iris appears
the rain stops,
the earth is silent
the sun's temperature rose
the corn straightens itself
in the aftenoon heat.
In Gila River Valley
the moon weeps behind a cloud
the ocean's waves wash ashore
the flowers open up
rushing forth their fragrance,
trees stand tall, strong
clouds celebrate a symphony of thunder
el cielo turns azulado
the mountains tremble
y los queztals regresan a la selva.
In Delano, Califas,
Xochipili, Xochiquetzal y Tonaztin
sadly smile proudly. The holy
bow their heads, farmworkers pray
others in their thousands
search the ground for a lost feather,
a token of his passing,
la muerte de un águila.
Martyrs and héroes dan la bienvenida
to the arrival of this eagle.
En el pueblo de Sal Si Puedes
choirs of cathedrals chant canticles
¡VIVA LA HUELGA-VIVA LA JUSTICIA
VIVA CÉSAR CHÁVEZ
VIVA CÉSAR CHÁVEZ!
In the city of angels politicians whisper:
We have lost the greatest Californian
of the twentieth century!
LA MUERTE DE UN ÁGUILA
like the death of a Chicano warrior
is not an everyday occurrence
sometimes the loss of a friend,
like an eagle taking flight
returning home,
evokes sad feelings in one's heart.
In San Antonio, Tejas
nuestros antepasados sound trumpets
to all directions of Aztlán
calling us to struggle
for la justicia y la paz!
¡VIVA CÉSAR CHÁVEZ
VIVA CÉSAR CHÁVEZ
VIVA LA HUELGA
VIVA CÉSAR CHÁVEZ
VIVA CÉSAR CHÁVEZ!
