MUSIC TALKS

I

I think happiness is a great gift,

sadness leads nowhere,

for if you have no gift in life

you can’t make the cockerel sing.

I think thoughts are fine, but to me

any attitude is valid. What goes round

comes round, so it is only inside me

that I find what I want; nothing else will do.

You must do everything alone.

Take the hook out of your mouth

and let words flow freely.

In every thread there is a knot

and the bait is greed. Either way,

tie a knot between the two, hard, under the sun.

Translator’s note: Each verse ends on a note from the musical scale that has a double meaning in Catalan with no equivalent in English

VARIATION

II

You should not use words, because – do

it’s better to walk with a stick – re

when talking to wolves. Otherwise – do

be wary of proverbs. They lie. – re

Tree bark never says anything. – do

What is the meaning of words – re

directed against other people? – do

This is like making a stick – re

with the alphabet. Spit on your hands, – sol

chew a few leaves, but – la

make an effort and it’ll be easier – si

to see yourself. A well made nest – la

can become a word. Make one – si

and give it any name you like. – sol

Brossa, Joan: Furgó de cua: 1989–1991. Barcelona: Quaderns Crema, 1993, pp. 91–92