A powerful satirical poem by Antoni Cardona that we translated from his original in Catalan

As if he heard rain			Antoni Cardona Torras

Catalan translation of “Com si sentís ploure”, by Brett Hetherington and Antoni Cardona


Badly brought up lout
who lies in bucketfuls
and is easily found out,
always smiling proudly
when the Palace sycophants
flatter him.

He governs to have
his friends satisfied 
with favours and contracts
so they can do and undo
in any rustic plot
of land or natural place.

He is bothered by those
not part of imperial Spain’s gang:
catholic-nationalists, the stiff right arm in the air
and those who are scamming
with the bishops’ blessing.

The day of the great floods —a DANA* was forecast—
with death and devastation in Dantesque magnitude,
at a well-appointed table
and with an excellent companion,
he was completely unmoved.

And the man without a care in the world,
with a broken-down super-ego or
on permanent holidays,
sooner rather than later he will know
how to inspire us to have such compassion for him
like a poor homeless person would do,
and he will be decorated 
for being the first one
harmed by the DANA*.

*DANA is the acronym in Catalan for “Isolated depression at High Levels”.



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Com si sentís ploure			    		 


Consentit galifardeu,
que menteix pels descosits 
i fàcilment és caçat,
ell somriu sempre ufanós
quan li fan la gara-gara
els llagoters de palau.

Ell governa per tenir 
els seus amics satisfets 
amb favors i concessions
perquè puguin fer i desfer
en qualsevol terreny rústic
o paratge natural.

Li fan nosa tots aquells 
que no són de la quadrilla
de l’espanya imperial, 
de la creu, del braç enlaire, 
i dels que fan tripijocs
amb la vènia episcopal.

El dia dels grans aiguats —una dana, com s’havia anunciat—, 
amb mort i devastació, de magnituds dantesques,
no s’immutà gens ni mica,
des d’una taula parada
i amb excel·lent companyia.

I l’home de fetge gros,
de superjò avariat 
o de vacances perpetues, 
més aviat que tard sabrà
inspirar-nos tanta llàstima 
com un pobre sense llar 
i serà condecorat 
per haver estat el primer    
perjudicat per la Dana.


				Antoni Cardona