ELSA WERTMAN

Yo era una campesina alemana
de ojos azules, rosada, feliz y robusta.
Y el primer lugar donde trabajé fue en lo de Thomas Greene.
Un día de verano, cuando ella había salido,
Thomas Greene se deslizó en la cocina
y me tomó entre sus brazos y me besó en la garganta,
cuando yo ladeaba la cabeza. Después ninguno de los dos
pareció darse cuenta de lo ocurrido.
Y yo lloraba por lo que sería de mí.
Y lloraba y lloraba a medida que mi secreto comenzaba

a notarse.

Un día la señora Greene me dijo que había comprendido
y que no se disgustaría conmigo,
y como no tenía hijos, que lo adoptaría.
(Él le había dado una granja para que se callara.)


Edgar Lee Masters  (E.E.U.U., Garnett, 1869 - Melrose Park, 1950)

(Traducción de Alberto Girri)

Elsa Wertman


I was a peasant girl from Germany,
Blue-eyed, rosy, happy and strong.
And the first place I worked was at Thomas Greene's.
On a summer's day when she was away
He stole into the kitchen and took me
Right in his arms and kissed me on my throat,
I turning my head. Then neither of us
Seemed to know what happened.
And I cried for what would become of me.
And cried and cried as my secret began to show.
One day Mrs. Greene said she understood,
And would make no trouble for me,
And, being childless, would adopt it.
(He had given her a farm to be still.)
So she hid in the house and sent out rumors,
As if it were going to happen to her.
And all went well and the child was born—they were so kind to me.
Later I married Gus Wertman, and years passed.
But—at political rallies when sitters-by thought I was crying
At the eloquence of Hamilton Greene—
That was not it.
No! I wanted to say:
That's my son! That's my son!