Sonnet XLIII

For my blog, I chose the translatio (back translation) option using Shakespeare’s Sonnet 43 “When Most I Wink, Then Do My Eyes Best See.” The first line is the original Shakespearian EME text, and the second is translated into PDE. The last two lines are a liberal Spanish translation and its English equivalent. Enjoy!!

When most I wink, then do my eyes best see,

When I close my eyes, I see you best,

Al cerrarse mis ojos ven más claro,

When my eyes close, they see more clearly

For all the day they view things unrespected;

When opened, they see only senseless things;

Durante el día todo es indiferente;

During the day, all is inconsequential;

But when I sleep, in dreams they look on thee,

But when I sleep, I dream. I dream of you,

Ya que siempre en mis sueños te contemplan

Since they always think of you in my dreams

And darkly bright, are bright in dark directed.

And in the dark, I draw close to your brightness.

Y brillan con tu brillo en la penumbra

and they brighten with your brightness in the twilight

Then thou, whose shadow shadows doth make bright,

Your shade eclipses dark and brings the light,

Tú iluminas las sombras con tu sombra,

You illuminate shadows with your shadow.

How would thy shadow’s form form happy show

Your shadow loses its great measurement

Qué dichoso espectáculo ofrecieras

What could a so-called spectacle offer

To the clear day with thy much clearer light,

Surrounded by the paltry light of day,

Al sol, con tu luz tanto más clara,

To the sun, with your much clearer light

When to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so!

To eyes of one who dreams of your dark shine!

Tú que así por la noche me encandilas

You who dazzles me like this at night!

How could, I say, mine eyes be blessed made

How could my eyes become more blessed to see

Qué ventura, pienso, si mis ojos

What gain is there, I think, if my eyes

By looking on the in the living day,

Your beauty dimmed by underwhelming light?

A viva luz del día te encontraran

Encounter you in the living light of day?

When in dead night thy fair imperfect shade

Your beautifully imperfect form outlasts

De noche, entre las sombras muertas,

At night, between the dead shadows

Through heavy sleep on sightless eyes doth stay!

That star within the lonely dead of night.

Veo tu esplendor en mis ojos ciegos.

I see your splendor in my blind eyes.

All days are nights to see till I see thee,

I count all days as night until we meet,

Cada día es noche sin tu imágen,

Each day is night without your image,

And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me.

And nights will be as days with dreams of you.

Y en sueños, cuando te veo, es la noche día.

And in dreams, when I see you, the night is day.