FIGHTING SPANISH IMPERIALISM FIGHTING SPANISH IMPERIALISM IMPERIALISM ARTS REGION CARIBBEAN AMERICAN CULTURE GLOBAL RELATIONS INTRODUCTION JOSE MARTI AND LOLA RODRIGUEZ DE TIO WERE EXILED THEIR HOMELANDS BECAUSE OF THEIR POLITICAL ACTIVITIES AND WRITINGS MARTI GAINED SUPPORT FOR CUBAN INDEPENDENCE THROUGH HIS ESSAYS AND POEMS RODRIGUEZ DE TIO'S POEM THE SONG OF BORINQUEN PUERTO RICO IS A CALL TO ARMS URGING HER COUNTRYMEN TO FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE TWO COUNTRIES BY JOSE MARTI I HAVE TWO COUNTRIES CUBA AND THE NIGHT OR ARE BOTH ONE NO SOONER DOES THE SUN WITHDRAW ITS MAJESTY THAN CUBA WITH LONG VEILS AND HOLDING A CARNATION APPEARS AS A SAD AND SILENT WIDOW I KNOW ABOUT THAT BLOODSTAINED CARNATION THAT TREMBLES IN HER HAND MY BREAST IS EMPTY DESTROYED AND EMPTY WHERE THE HEART LAY NOW IS THE TIME TO COMMENCE BEGIN CRYING NIGHT IS A GOOD TIME TO SAY FAREWELL LIGHT IS A HINDRANCE AN OBSTACLE AS IS THE HUMAN WORD THE UNIVERSE TALKS BETTER THAN MAN LIKE A FLAG THAT CALLS TO BATTLE THE CANDLE'S RED FLAME FLUTTERS I FEEL A CLOSENESS AND OPEN WINDOWS CRUSHING THE CARNATION'S PETALS SILENTLY WIDOWED CUBA PASSES BY LIKE A CLOUD THAT DIMS THE HEAVENS THE SONG OF BORINQUEN BY LOLA RODRIGUEZ DE TIO AWAKE BORINQUENOS FOR THEY'VE GIVEN THE SIGNAL AWAKE FROM YOUR SLEEP FOR IT'S TIME TO FIGHT COME THE SOUND OF CANNON WILL BE DEAR TO US AT THAT PATRIOTIC CLAMOR DOESN'T YOUR HEART BURN LOOK THE CUBAN WILL SOON BE FREE THE MACHETE LARGE KNIFE WILL GIVE HIM FREEDOM THE DRUM OF WAR ANNOUNCES IN ITS BEATING THAT THE THICKET IS THE PLACE THE MEETING PLACE MOST BEAUTIFUL BORINQUEN WE HAVE TO FOLLOW CUBA YOU HAVE BRAVE SONS WHO WANT TO FIGHT LET US NO MORE SEEM FEARFUL LET US NO MORE TIMID PERMIT OUR ENSLAVEMENT WE WANT TO BE FREE ALREADY AND OUR MACHETE IS WELL SHARPENED WHY SHOULD WE THEN REMAIN SO ASLEEP AND DEAF ASLEEP AND DEAF TO THAT SIGNAL THERE'S NO NEED TO FEAR RICANS THE SOUND OF CANNON FOR SAVING THE HOMELAND IS THE DUTY OF THE HEART WE WANT NO MORE DESPOTS DICTATORS LET THE TYRANT FALL WOMEN LIKEWISE WILD WILL KNOW HOW TO FIGHT WE WANT FREEDOM AND OUR MACHETE WILL GIVE IT TO US LET'S GO PUERTO RICANS LET'S GO ALREADY FOR LIBERTY IS WAITING EVER SO ANXIOUS TWO COUNTRIES FROM JOSE MARTI MAJOR POEMS TRANSLATED BY ELINOR RANDALL EDITED BY PHILIPS FONER COPYRIGHT 1982 BY HOLMES MEIER PUBLISHERS INC REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF HOLMES MEIER PUBLISHERS INC NEW YORK THE SONG OF BORINQUEN BY LOLA RODRIGUEZ DE TIO FROM BORINQUEN AN ANTHOLOGY OF PUERTO RICAN LITERATURE EDITED BY MARIA TERESA BABIN AND STAN STEINER REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF VERA JOHN STEINER
