Translated to English by Richard Gabela on March 3, 2025, from the original work “El Lunar” by Nicolás Augusto González (1858–1918) of Guayaquil, Ecuador.
THE BEAUTY MARK
Not the innocence of your face, revealing
the quiet slumber of your tender heart,
nor the soft rise and fall of your breast,
nor your innocent grace that soothes the soul;
Not your brilliant, gazelle-like eyes,
nor your lips of crimson, a sacred urn
where a kiss seems to tremble,
like a butterfly yearning to take flight,
Inspires the lovestruck soul more deeply,
mad with your celestial charms
and long enchained beneath your sweet yoke,
Than that beauty mark that provokes adoration…
a small, fleeting brushstroke
that Love itself wished to place beside your lips!
Translator’s Note: Nicolás Augusto González was a multifaceted literary figure—poet, playwright, novelist, journalist, historian, and diplomat. His works often carried both artistic refinement and political weight, the latter even leading to his exile on multiple occasions. El Lunar is a beautifully crafted love poem that exemplifies the delicate, almost worshipful admiration of a beloved. In this sonnet, González lists the many divine qualities of his muse, only to reveal that none captivate the lovestruck soul more than the simple beauty of the small mark near her lips. The poem’s elegance lies in its contrast between grandeur and intimacy, and in translating it, I sought to preserve its reverence, rhythm, and poetic grace while ensuring that its essence remains as compelling in English as in the original Spanish.
Original Spanish
EL LUNAR
Ni el candor de tu rostro, que revela
que tu sensible corazón dormita,
ni tu mórbido seno que palpita,
ni tu inocente gracia que consuela;
Ni tus brillantes ojos de gacela,
ni tu boca de grana, urna bendita
donde un beso parece que se agita
cual mariposa que volar anhela,
Inspiran más al alma enamorada,
por sus encantos celestiales loca
y a tu yugo hace tiempo enamorada,
que ese lunar que adoración provoca…
¡pequeña, fugitiva pincelada
que el Amor quiso dar junto a tu boca!