Translated to English by Richard Gabela on March 4, 2025, from the original work A mi primogénito by Joaquín Gallegos Del Campo (1873–1910) of Guayaquil, Ecuador. This poem was published posthumously in Mis recuerdos: poesías líricas y cuentos en prosa (1912), a collection compiled by his widow, Emma Lara Calderón.
To My Firstborn
Your little eyes, mirrors of my own,
so full of wonder in your tender years,
shine with a light that soothes my sorrows
and restores all strength within me.
May God shield you from affliction’s turmoil,
may fragrant blossoms line your path;
may fate’s harsh hand never bear down upon you,
nor fortune leave you adrift in its wayward turns.
Gripped by immense pain,
struggling in life’s deepest waters,
I place my faith in you, and with you, my thoughts remain.
And though sorrow may someday pierce your heart,
my deepest longing is that you shall become
“the loving pillar on which your mother leans.”
Translator’s Note: Joaquín Gallegos Del Campo was a modernist poet, journalist, and liberal politician whose life was tragically cut short during a revolutionary riot. His literary work reflects both his political convictions and his deeply personal emotions. A mi primogénito is a poignant and intimate poem, written for his only son, Joaquín Gallegos Lara, who was not even two years old at the time of his father’s death. In these lines, Gallegos Del Campo expresses his hopes, fears, and enduring love for his child, wishing him a life free of misfortune and full of purpose. This translation seeks to preserve the tenderness and emotional weight of the original while maintaining its natural rhythm and clarity.
Original Spanish Version
A mi primogénito
Tus ojitos, espejos de los míos
en tan pequeña edad, preguntadores,
con sus luces alivian mis dolores
y vuelven a mi ser todos mis brios.
Quiera Dios no te aflijan desvaríos
y tu senda perfumen bellas flores;
que no sufran del hado los rigores,
ni te hiera la suerte en sus desvíos.
Atenaceado en mi dolor inmenso
con la vida, luchando en lo profundo
en ti pongo mi fe, contigo pienso;
Y aunque el pesar, el pecho te taladre,
es mi anhelo que seas en el mundo
“¡el sostén cariñoso de tu madre!”