from Poems to Play/Poemas Para Jugar
by Bertha Jacobson from her 2019 book of Bilingual Poems for Children:
Mi hermano, el sheriff, en su imaginacíon
My brother, dressed in western clothes,
Mi hermano vestido al estilo oeste,
could ride his horse for hours.
montaba al caballo por horas.
He always was a sheriff on the go,
Siempre era el sheriff ocupado,
fighting against the apaches in pajamas (that was us).
peleando contra apaches empiyamados (nosotros).
El corcel circo de me hermana.
My sister’s steer belonged to the circus,
and she tied a pink ribbon around its neck.
With an elegant style she could even stand on its back,
while the crowd blasted in great applause.
El corcel do me hermana era de circo,
y le ataba un listón rosado al cuello,
Con gran elegancia hacía pirurtas en so lomo,
mientras la multitud estallaba en aplauso sonoro.
El caballero que me imaginé que era.
My sorrel and I, we used to battle dragons,
I was a knight in shiny armor.
The goal was to win the princess’ love
by rescuing her from a dark cove.
Mi alazán y yo, luchbámos contra dragones.
Yo era un gran caballero armado,
y la meta era ganar el corazón de me amada,
injustamente encarcelada.
And do you know a funny thing?
My brother’s horse and my sister’s steer
and also my own sorrel, were the same one:
THE ROCKING HORSE
Standing by the dining room wall.
¿Y sabes qué es lo más gracioso?
El caballo de mi hermano,
el corcel de mi hermana,
y mi propio alazán, eran uno sólo:
EL CABALLO BALANCÍN,
sobre el piso de adoquín.
