Tuesday, January 19, 2021

The Bodybuilder’s Contest By Wislawa Szymborska

 


The Bodybuilder’s Contest

By Wislawa Szymborska

El concurso de culturista

Por Wislawa Szymborska

From scalp to sole, all muscles in slow motion.

The ocean of his torso drips with lotion.

The king of all is he who preens and wrestles

with sinews twisted into monstrous pretzels.


Onstage, he grapples with a grizzly bear

the deadlier for not really being there.

Three unseen panthers are in turn laid low,

Each with one smoothly choreographed blow.


He grunts while showing his poses and paces.

His back alone has twenty different faces.

The mammoth fist he raises as he wins

Is a tribute to the force of vitamins

Desde el cuero cabelludo hasta la planta del pie, todos los músculos en cámara lenta.

El océano de su torso gotea con loción.

El rey de todos es el que se precie y lucha

con tendones torcidos en monstruosos pretzels.


En el escenario, se enfrenta a un oso pardo.

el más mortal por no estar realmente allí.

Tres panteras invisibles, a su vez, se ponen bajas,

Cada uno con un golpe suavemente coreografiado.


Él gruñe mientras muestra sus poses y pasos.

Su espalda sola tiene veinte caras diferentes.

El puño gigantesco que levanta cuando gana

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