A Love's Declaration....the making of a myth

Some years ago, I received a beautiful poem written by
the nobel prize winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I suppose it is
somewhere saved in my files until I received last week
for the third time this beautiful poem asking me to share
it with friends. Angela, a dear friend asked me for a copy
and I thought why not post it on Valentine's Day despite
so much consumption and commercialization associated with
the date.
So here's the copy of this beautiful poem with a short
note that the poem was not from Marquez but written by
a Mexican ventriloquist named Johnny Welch for his puppet
named Mofles. Enjoy it

The Puppet (La Marrioneta)

If for a moment God would forget that I am a rag doll and give me
a scrap of life, possibly I would not say everything that I think,
but I would definitely think everything that I say.

I would value things not for how much they are worth but rather
for what they mean.

I would sleep little, dream more. I know that for each minute
that we close our eyes we lose sixty seconds of light.

I would walk when the others loiter;
I would awaken when the others sleep.

I would listen when the others speak, and how I would enjoy a good
chocolate ice cream.

If God would bestow on me a scrap of life, I would dress simply,
I would throw myself flat under the sun, exposing not only my
body but also my soul.

My God, if I had a heart, I would write my hatred on ice and wait
for the sun to come out. With a dream of Van Gogh I would paint on
the stars a poem by Benedetti, and a song by Serrat would be
my serenade to the moon.

With my tears I would water the roses, to feel the pain of their
thorns and the incarnated kiss of their petals...My God,
if I only had a scrap of life...

I wouldn't let a single day go by without saying to people I love,
that I love them.

I would convince each woman or man that they are my favourites
and I would live in love with love.

I would prove to the men how mistaken they are in thinking that
they no longer fall in love when they grow old--not knowing that
they grow old when they stop falling in love. To a child I would give
wings, but I would let him learn how to fly by himself. To the old
I would teach that death comes not with old age but with forgetting.
I have learned so much from you men....

I have learned that everybody wants to live at the top of the mountain
without realizing that true happiness lies in the way we climb the slope.

I have learned that when a newborn first squeezes his father's finger
in his tiny fist, he has caught him forever.

I have learned that a man only has the right to look down on another
man when it is to help him to stand up. I have learned so many things
from you, but in the end most of it will be no use because when they
put me inside that suitcase, unfortunately I will be dying.

translated by Matthew Taylor and Rosa Arelis Taylor

http://www.chatters.it/lettera_di_gabriel_garcia_marque.htm

/Testo Originale/

"Se per un istante Dio dimenticasse che sono una marionetta di stoffa
e mi regalasse un poco di vita, probabilmente non direi tutto quello
che penso, pero in definitiva penserei tutto quello che dico.

Darei valore alle cose, non per quello che valgono, ma per quello che
significano.

Dormirei poco, sognerei di più, capisco che per ogni minuto che
chiudiamo gli occhi, perdiamo sessanta secondi di luce.

Andrei avanti quando gli altri si fermano, mi sveglierei quando
gli altri dormono.

Ascolterei quando gli altri parlano, e come
gusterei un buon gelato al cioccolato!

Se Dio mi regalasse un poco di vita, vestirei in modo semplice, mi
butterei a terra al sole, lasciando allo scoperto, non soltanto il mio
corpo ma anche la mia anima.

Mio Dio, se io avessi un cuore, scriverei il mio odio sul ghiaccio, e
aspetterei che uscisse il sole.

Dipingerei con un sogno di Van Gogh sulle stelle un poema di
Benedetti, e una canzone di Serrat sarebbe la serenata che
offrirei alla luna.

Innaffierei con le mie lacrime le rose per sentire il dolore delle loro
spine, e l’incarnato bacio dei suoi petali...

Mio Dio, se io avessi un poco di vita...

Non lascerei passare un solo giorno senza dire alle persone che amo,
che gli voglio bene. Convincerei ogni donna o uomo che sono i miei
preferiti e vivrei innamorato dell’amore.

Agli uomini proverei quanto si sbagliano quando pensano che
smettono di innamorarsi quando invecchiano, senza sapere che
invecchiano quando smettono di innamorarsi!.

A un bambino gli darei le ali, però lascerei che da solo imparasse
a volare.

Ai vecchi insegnerei che la morte non arriva con la vecchiaia ma con
la dimenticanza.

Tante cose ho imparato da voi, gli uomini...

Ho imparato che tutto il mondo vuole vivere nella cima della montagna,
senza sapere che la vera felicità sta nel modo di salire la scarpata.

Ho imparato che quando un bambino appena nato stringe con il suo
piccolo pugno, per la prima volta, il dito di suo padre, lo mantiene
intrappolato per sempre.

Ho imparato che un uomo ha il diritto di guardare un altro dall’alto,
solo quando lo aiuta ad alzarsi.

Sono tante le cose che ho potuto imparare da voi, però realmente
a molto non serviranno, perché quando mi mettano dentro quella
valigia, infelicemente starò morendo."

"Si por un instante Dios se olvidara de que soy una marioneta de
trapo y me regalara un trozo de vida, posiblemente no diría todo
lo que pienso,pero en definitiva pensaría todo lo que digo.

Daría valor a las cosas, no por lo que valen, sino por lo que significan.

Dormiría poco, soñaría más, entiendo que por cada minuto que
cerramos los ojos, perdemos sesenta segundos de luz.

Andaría cuando los demás se detienen, despertaría cuando los demás duermen.

Escucharía cuando los demás hablan, y cómo disfrutaría de un buen
helado de chocolate!

Si Dios me obsequiara un trozo de vida, vestiría sencillo, me tiraría
de bruces al sol, dejando descubierto, no solamente mi cuerpo sino mi alma.

Dios mío, si yo tuviera un corazón, escribiría mi odio sobre el hielo,
y esperaría a que saliera el sol.

Pintaría con un sueño de Van Gogh sobre las estrellas un poema de
Benedetti, y una canción de Serrat sería la serenata que les ofrecería
a la luna.

Regaría con mis lágrimas las rosas, para sentir el dolor de sus
espinas, y el encarnado beso de sus pétalos...

Dios mío, si yo tuviera un trozo de vida...

No dejaría pasar un solo día sin decirle a la gente que quiero,
que la quiero.

Convencería a cada mujer u hombre de que son mis favoritos y
viviría enamorado del amor.

A los hombres les probaría cuán equivocados están al pensar que
dejan de enamorarse cuando envejecen, sin saber que envejecen
cuando dejan de enamorarse!

A un niño le daría alas, pero le dejaría que él solo aprendiese a volar.

A los viejos les enseñaría que la muerte no llega con la vejez,
sino con el olvido.

Tantas cosas he aprendido de ustedes, los hombres...

He aprendido que todo el mundo quiere vivir en la cima de
la montaña,sin saber que la verdadera felicidad está en la forma
de subir la escarpada.

He aprendido que cuando un recién nacido aprieta con su pequeño
puño,por vez primera, el dedo de su padre, lo tiene atrapado por siempre.

He aprendido que un hombre sólo tiene derecho a mirar a otro hacia
abajo, cuando ha de ayudarle a levantarse.

Son tantas cosas las que he podido aprender de
ustedes, pero realmente de mucho no habrán de servir, porque
cuando me guarden dentro de esa maleta, infelizmente me estaré muriendo."

Traduzione a cura di Patrizia Monticelli ePatrizio Perrella
da bech_ett, 10/05/01 **(da Libri e letteratura - Yahoo It**)

Another English translation follows. I wonder which one sounds better
to a native ear:

If for an instant God were to forget that I am rag doll and gifted me
with a piece of life,
possibly I wouldn't say all that I think,
but rather I would think of all that I say.
I would value things,
not for their worth but for what they mean.
I would sleep little, dream more,
understanding that for each minute we close our eyes we lose sixty
seconds of light.

I would walk when others hold back.
I would wake when others sleep.
I would listen when others talk,
and how I would enjoy a good chocolate ice cream!
If God were to give me a piece of life,
I would dress simply,
throw myself face first into the sun,
baring not only my body but also my soul.
My God, if I had a heart, I would write my hate on ice,
and wait for the sun to show.
Over the stars I would paint with a Van Gogh dream a Benedetti poem,
and a Serrat song would be the serenade I'd offer to the moon.
With my tears I would water roses,
to feel the pain of their thorns,
and the red kiss of their petals.

My God, if I had a piece of life...
I wouldn't let a single day pass without telling the people I
love that I love them.
I would convince each woman and each man that they are my favorites,
and I would live in love with love.
I would show men how very wrong they are to think that they cease
to be in love when they grow old,
not knowing that they grow old when they cease to love!
To a child I shall give wings,
but I shall let him learn to fly on his own.
I would teach the old that death does not come with old age,
but with forgetting.
So much have I learned from you, oh men...

I have learned that everyone wants to live on the peak of the mountain,
without knowing that real happiness is in how it is scaled.
I have learned that when a newborn child squeezes for the first time
with his tiny fist his father's finger,
he has him trapped forever.
I have learned that a man has the right to look down on another only
when he has to help the other get to his feet.
From you I have learned so many things,
but in truth they won't be of much use,
for when I keep them within this suitcase,
unhappily shall I be dying.

[Edited by Jacek Krankowski on August 28, 2003 2:44 AM]