from A BESTIARY

for my daughters, Mary and Katherine

Lion

The lion is called the king

Of beasts. Nowadays there are

Almost as many lions

In cages as out of them.

If offered a crown, refuse.

León

El león es llamado el rey

De las bestias. Hoy en día hay

Casi tantos leones

En jaulas como fuera de ellas.

Si te ofrecen una corona, recházala.

Ciervo

Los ciervos son tiernos y elegantes

Y tienen ojos bellos.

No hieren a nadie sino a sí mismos,

Los machos, y sólo por amor.

Los hombres han inventado varias

Miles de formas de matarlos.

Deer

Deer are gentle and graceful

And they have beautiful eyes.

They hurt no one but themselves,

The males, and only for love.

Men have invented several

Thousand ways of killing them.

Gato

Cat

There are too many poems

About cats. Beware of cat

Lovers, they have a hidden

Frustration somewhere and will

Stick you with it if they can.

Lobos

Nunca creas todo lo que se dice.

Los lobos no son tan malos como los corderos.

Yo he sido un lobo toda mi vida,

y tengo dos hermosas hijas

para probarlo, mientras que podría

contarte historias enfermas

de corderos que recibieron su justo merecido.

Wolf

Never believe all you hear.

Wolves are not as bad as lambs.

I’ve been a wolf all my life,

And have two lovely daughters

To show for it, while I could

Tell you sickening tales of

Lambs who got their just deserts.

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