Antonio Otero García-Tornel

Mientras cobras aliento y ves la piel marchita,

ojeras en un cuarto cerrado con pestillo,

después de recibir ya todas las noticias

con el determinismo sombrío acostumbrado

y en la luctuosa tarde vuelves a preguntarte

qué sabio sedimento la vida te ha dejado,

qué poso la lectura de Svevo o Leopardi,

los otros, sin pasado,

                                    con sólo tres palabras

compiten en el juego de la seducción, compran

mansiones excesivas, navegan con aplomo,

se ríen con el dálmata o con los sucesores

que calculan los días restantes, suspirando

por mirar desde arriba y por mover los hilos.

 

Translation--------------------------------------------------------- 

 

Charged For Breath 

 

While you charge breath and see the wilted skin,

bags under the eyes in a room closed with bolt,

after eceiving already all the news with the usual somber determinism

and in the sorrowful afternoon ask you again
how wise sediment the life has left you,

 

what do I sit the reading of Svevo or Leopardi, the other,

without past,

                        with only three words

compete in the play of the seduction,

they buy excessive mansions, they sail with poise,

they laugh with the Dalmatian or with the successors

that calculate the remaining days, sighing for
looking at from above and by moving the threads.  

 

 --- some notes ---

 

The Old Testament

The Sapienciales Books
Eclesiastés

Eclesiastés, in Hebrew Kohélet, means preacher, that is the one that the Church or Assembly speaks in; name that corresponds by all concepts to its content, because it preaches in form of sentences and advice, in prosa and verse, the vanity of the created things. The goods of this world are vain; vain therefore all the ambitions, vain the illusion of earth happiness outside the simple well-being; the true happiness consists of fearing, that is to reverenciar to God our Father, and to observe its orders so that in them we find the life (Prov. 4, 13 and passim).

The author of the book speaks, from the title, like son of David, thus the traditions Jewish and Christian, that always recognized their canonicidad, they attributed it to Salomón. Modern catholic the also numerous critic and exégetas was believed yet forced to admit that certain passages could subsequent to be of a time Salomón (p. ej. the references on the tyranny of the kings, the corruption of the magistrates, the oppression of the subjects). They indicate, in addition, that the language and the style are not those of the salomónico time. By everything which thinks some that the Eclesiastés later underwent a transcription to the most modern language; others (among them Condamín, Zapletal and Simón-Prado), think that the author used as the name of “son of David” only with the purpose of giving more enhancement to the work, and fix the composition of the Eclesiastés between the years 300-200 a. C. We can admit the possibility of this date, since Sacred Libro does not appear like writing by Salomón, but by an anonymous author who refers sayings to us of the wise king. It does not say, in effect: I, the son of David, but that it puts like title: Words of the Eclesiastés (Preaching), son of David, king of Jerusalem (1, 1) and begin mentioning it in third person: “The Eclesiastés Said” (1, 2), to make speak soon it in first person (1, 12 ss.). The same it does in the epilogue (12, 8 ss.), where it refers that the Eclesiastés was sapientísimo, that composed many parabolas, etc., exact things all that we know are respect to Salomón (III King. 4, 30-34; Prov. 1, 1), to who the author talks about with all evidence (1, 12, 16, etc.), in the same way as the Gospels talk about Christ and they give his Words us, being able the Church to say with all exactitude: “The Gospel de N. Mr. Jesus Christ”, and to affirm that in him the divine Teacher speaks, despite knowing all that did not write it. There is, then, no pure fiction in the author of this divine Book of the Eclesiastés, but that, recognizing his supernatural inspiration, we must think that it wants to transmit the words and wisdom to us of Salomón, as the writers of the New Testament did with Christ, even those that had not listened to it directly.

The Eclesiastés is not systematic. “They do not attract the syntheses to him, and seems to lose interest of the conclusions of its assertions, even though sound discordant” (Manresa). San Pablo could gloriar itself to also preach: “not with persuasivas words according to the human wisdom, but showing to the truth with the Spirit Santo and the force of God” (I Cor. 2, 4). For that reason these sentences, tremendous for the human sufficiency, have scandalized until being labeled as epicúreas. In fact, the irresistible elocuencia of this revulsivo Libro, with its appearance of implacable pesimism, is perhaps most powerful than it exists to clear us the bandage that hides, to our intelligence darkened by the congenital sin, the esplendores of the spiritual life, and to remove that great obstacle thus whereupon “the father of the lie” (Juan 8, 44) tries to hide the Wells-being to us, and that the Wise flame “the fascination of the triviality” (Sab. 4, 12).

The Hebrews divided sacred books in three groups: The Torah (Law); the Nebiyim (Prophets) and the Ketubim (Hagiógrafos). To this third group the Eclesiastés belongs, that was contact also between the five Meghillot, that is small books which they were written in rolls separate, for liturgical use.