The Poetry of Antonio Machado

A philosopher like Jean Paul Sartre or a deconstructionist like Jacques Derrida would probably say that any attempt to translate poetry is futile since one can never know exactly what is meant by the poet's words. While I recognize the difficulty of knowing what is in the poet's mind, I refuse to accept the notion that we can never know what he wishes to say. After a careful study of Machado's poetry and most of his prose, I have a good understanding of his thoughts. I have now translated all the poems of Antonio Machado that are included in his Complete Works (Obras: Poesía y prosa) published by Losada (Buenos Aires, 1973): Early Poems (poems not included in Machado's Complete Poetry), Solitude: 1899 – 1907, Fields of Castile: 1907 - 1917, New Songs 1917 – 1930, From an Apocryphal Songbook and Other Poems. (Full introduction.)

Early Poems

• Early Poems (.pdf)

Solitude - Soledades: 1899 – 1907

• Poems I – XIX (.pdf)
• Poems XX – XXXVII (.pdf)
• Poems XXXVIII – LX (.pdf)
• Poems LXI – LXXX (.pdf)
• Poems LXXXI – XCVI (.pdf)

Fields of Castile – Campos de Castilla: 1907 – 1917

• Poems XCVII – CIII (.pdf)
• Poems CIV – CXIII (.pdf)
• Poem CXIV – The Land of Alvargonzález (.pdf)
• Poems CXV – CXXVII (.pdf)
• Poems CXXVIII - CXXXV (.pdf)
• Poem CXXXVI - Proverbs and Songs (.pdf)
• Poems CXXXVII - CXLII (.pdf)
• Poems CXLIII - CLII (.pdf)

New Songs – Nuevas canciones: 1917-1939

• Poems CLIII – CLVI (.pdf)
• Poems CLVII - CLX (.pdf)
• Poem CLXI - Proverbs and Songs (Part One) (.pdf)
• Poem CLXI - Proverbs and Songs (Part Two) (.pdf)
• Poems CLXII - CLXIV (Thinking of Ronsard and Other Poems) (.pdf)
• Poems CLXIV (Thinking of Ronsard... Continuation) - CLXVI (.pdf)

From the Apocryphal Songbook - Del Cancionero Apócrifo

• Poem CLXVII – by Abel Martin (.pdf)
• Poems CLXVIII – CLXXI – by Juan de Mairena (.pdf)
• Poem CLXXII "Memories of Dreaming, Fever and Dozing" (.pdf)
• Poems CLXXIII – CLXXIV – Songs for Guiomar (.pdf)
• Poems CLXXV "The Death of Abel Martin" – CLXXVI (.pdf)

Miscellaneous Poems – Poemas Sueltos

• Poetry of the War Years (.pdf)
• The Counterparts (.pdf)
• Apocryphal Songbook (.pdf)
• Miscellaneous Poems prior to 1936 (.pdf)