Tarde Tranquila, casi

By: Anthony Machado

Tarde tranquila, casi
con placidez de alma,
para ser joven, para haberlo sido
cuando Dios quiso, para
tener algunas alegrías . . . lejos,
y poder dulcemente

Translated to English By: Willis Barnstone

Tranquil afternoon almost
with placidity of soul,to be young, to have been so
when God will it, to
have had some joys . . . far away,
and to be able tenderly to recall them

I collaborated with Machado by substituting several of the words in his poem with antonyms. I then translated it back to Spanish. My results are below. Enjoy!

Frenzied nightfall, certainly
with roughness of soul,
to be old, to become so
when the world allows it, to
have such nighmares . . . close by
and to be able frightfull to recall them

Tarde frenética, ciertamente
con aspereza de alma
para ser viejo, para hacerse
cuando el mundo lo permite, para
tener tales pesadillas . . . cerca de,
y poder terriblemente recordarlas