Las Sombras del Pasado

Another sun has made his arc,

Another tide is rising;

Another star declares the day

Must dwindle into night.

 

The silence softly swirls and streams

Across a world in slumber;

The shadows in such solemn stride

Perform a sacred rite.

 

Along the silver-spattered road

They head towards the shoreline,

And load a boat with ashen urns

As offerings to dawn.

 

One at the bow then takes a seat,

While at the oars another,

And with the chanting of a dirge

They go, they go- they’re gone.

 

Another sun may grace the sky

With guidance to move forward,

Yet nightly would the shadows mourn

The times that are no more.

 

Se va, se va la barca,

Se va con el pescador.

Y en esa barca que cruza el mar,

Se va, se va mi amor.

Author's Note

The last stanza is the chorus of a famous Colombian folksong (called "La Lancha") I highly recommend you listen to it, even if you don't know Spanish, for it is beautiful.

Reviews

[McEltic]

This reminds me of the ending of the Lord of the Rings, where the Elves with Frodo disappear into an unknown realm... a better place :)

[emipoemi]

hahaha! Interesting scene to imagine for a poem like this. Whatever floats your boat, I guess :) Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading.

[H L Rose]

This is the kind of poem I would read over and over again, creating a million different stories in my head to go with it. I really enjoyed it! The second to last stanza is my favorite, because I’m imagining personified shadows.

I can’t seem to find the song. It comes up as being talked about in a book, but I can’t find it anywhere to listen to. Any suggestions on where to find it? I would definitely like to listen to it.

[emipoemi]

Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed it. Yeah, apparently the song itself has gone under the radar since I first found it. Here's the link (just a warning, there are no subtitles).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KEwdPxycCk

[H L Rose]

That’s a fun song. Not what I was expecting with the tone of the poem. I like the contrasting tones and they add significance to the poem as a whole.

I was able to catch a lot! Good practice for understanding Spanish for sure.

[emipoemi]

That was a more lighthearted musical version of the song. It's actually sad in the lyrics, and its general use is a "twisted" lullaby/children's song (because of its morose story).

[H L Rose]

That sounds Intriguing. I’ll have to keep listening to it till I can understand it all.