Translated to English by Richard Gabela on March 2, 2025, from the original work “Teoría de la Llama” by David Ledesma Vásquez (1934–1961) of Guayaquil, Ecuador.
THEORY OF THE FLAME
I am no longer
the son of my parents,
the nephew of my aunts,
the grandson of my grandmother;
nor the citizen
who carried an ID
number 1317284,
who once stood to sing a national anthem
and signed: David Ledesma
on letters,
on checks,
on songs.
I have died within myself to be reborn.
A new being clothes me now.
I can no longer say I am a man,
or that I live in any place,
or that I love,
or that I am. I am no longer.
I transfigure
into a pure flame of Poetry
that burns,
crackles,
and roars
from within.
I can have a face like the wind,
a bone like a river,
a death like a song.
My being is not this outer shell.
It is not me.
Nor my family.
Nor my homeland.
Not even my name.
It is a luminous and pure space,
an undefined point,
intangible,
ungraspable,
indescribable.
A fragment
of force,
of struggle,
nourished by its own searing embers.
Now I can die,
or I can live.
Stones may fall upon my body,
the ground may give way beneath my feet,
and yet—I will not fall,
I will not suffer pain.
The Flame sustains me.
It holds me up.
I am entirely possessed
by a force that is magic
and harmony.
I do not seek beautiful words,
nor do I desire noble sentiments;
I do not even seek the melody of a voice.
I seek nothing.
My voice is part of the Flame,
an instrument in service of the Flame.
And this fire—
lethal,
sacred,
inexplicable—
nourishes me,
possesses me.
And I burn,
nothing more.
I am touched by Grace and Mystery.
Translator’s Note: David Ledesma Vásquez was a poet, writer, journalist, and actor whose work, though overlooked for years after his death, later gained a cult following. A member of the Guayaquil-based Club 7 poetry collective in the 1950s, Ledesma Vásquez explored themes of identity, transcendence, and existential transformation in his work. His life was tragically short—he died by suicide at the age of 27—but his poetry remains a testament to his intensity and depth.
Teoría de la Llama is a declaration of self-annihilation and rebirth, a renunciation of personal history, identity, and even physical existence in favor of a complete surrender to poetry. The speaker dissolves into an all-consuming flame, fueled by an uncontainable force beyond words. In translating this piece, I sought to preserve its raw power, rhythmic intensity, and mystical undertones, ensuring that the fire of Ledesma Vásquez’s words burns just as fiercely in English as it does in Spanish.
Original Spanish:
TEORÍA DE LA LLAMA
Ya no soy más
el hijo de mis padres,
sobrino de mis tías,
nieto de mi abuela;
el ciudadano
que portaba la cédula
número 1317284,
que −en pie− cantaba un himno nacional
y que firmó: David Ledesma
sobre cartas
y cheques
y canciones.
He muerto en mí para resucitarme.
Un nuevo ser me viste.
Ya no puedo decir que soy un hombre
ni que vivo en tal parte,
ni que amo,
ni que soy. Ya no soy.
Me transfiguro
en una entera llama de Poesía
que arde,
crepita
y ruge
desde adentro.
Puedo tener un rostro como un viento,
un hueso como un río,
una muerte como un canción.
Mi ser no es esta costra.
No soy yo.
Ni es mi familia.
Ni es mi pueblo. Ni
es siquiera mi nombre.
Es un espacio luminoso y puro.
Un punto indefinido.
Intangible.
Inasible.
Indescriptible.
Una partícula
de fuerza,
de combate
que me nutre con sus tremendas brasas.
Ahora puedo morir,
puedo vivir también,
sobre mi cuerpo pueden caer piedras,
puede, bajo mis plantas hundirse el suelo:
y no caeré,
ni sufriré dolor.
La Llama me alimenta.
Me sostiene.
Estoy enteramente poseído
de una fuerza que es magia
y armonía.
No busco las palabras hermosas,
ni quiero los sentimientos nobles;
no busco ni siquiera el tono melodioso de la voz,
no busco nada,
mi voz es parte de la Llama,
es un instrumento al servicio de la Llama.
Y este fuego letal,
sagrado,
inexplicable,
me nutre y me posee.
Y ardo
nada más.
Tocado estoy de Gracia y de Misterio.