"Utilizing an original text by my longtime collaborator playwright Nilo Cruz, Las cinco lunas de Lorca (The Five Moons of Lorca) lyrically describes the shooting death of dramatist Federico García Lorca (1898-1936) at the hands of Nationalist forces at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. Hints of Spanish folksong, which García Lorca passionately championed contrary to the decree of the Franco dictatorship, are featured throughout."
Take a look at the original Spanish text below, and scroll down for its English translation.
LAS CINCO LUNAS DE LORCA
¡Ay noche de agracio!
¡Ay noche de pañuelo roto!
Cerca de Granada
llevan al poeta.
Cerca de Granada
avanza la muerte.
Y Lorca cuenta
cinco lunas heridas.
Con los ojos vendados,
anda en linea recta.
Recuerda que la vida
corre con el fuego...
y la muerte con la escarcha.
Y debe mirar
la muerte
como un destello:
Un golbo de rosas desbocadas.
¡Un disparo!
¡Otro disparo!
¡Y otro...!
En un caballo
(¡Ay, que noche tan breve!)
de aguas negras,
(¡Ay, que noche tan larga!)
el poeta se enfrenta
(¡Ay, que noche sin brazos!)
con los asesinos.
(¡Ay, que noche sin Dios!)
Matar a un hombre
en conocerlo íntimamente.
Y cada noche de sus vidas,
los asesinos deben desvestir
el cuerpo de los muertos
y contemplar
el infinito hilito
de sangre:
El torrente de palabras
que sigue fluyendo
con la tinta
de una pluma verde.
Click "Read More" for the English translation.
The Five Moons of Lorca
Oh, night of grievance!
Oh, night of torn handkerchief!
Near Granada,
the poet has been taken.
Near Granada,
death approaches.
And Lorca counts
five wounded moons.
With his eyes blindfolded,
he walks in a straight line.
He recalls that life
gallops with fire...
and death with the frost.
And he must look
at death
as a blaze:
A blast of unruly roses.
A gunshot!
Another gunshot!
And another...!
On a horse
(Oh, such a brief night!)
of black water,
(Oh, such a long night!)
the poet confronts
(Oh, such a night without arms!)
the killers |
(Oh, such a night without God!)
To kill a man
is to know him intimately.
And every night of their lives,
the killers must undress
the body of the dead
and contemplate
the infinite little stream
of blood:
The gush of words
that continues to flow
from the ink
of a green pen.
The Five Moons of Lorca will be available to stream from December 11th through 25th. You can get free access to this unique operatic experience by clicking the button below.
