My grandfather Felipe N. Brambila included the following epigram in his memoirs. I am not sure weather my grandfather wrote it. He simply might have included the epigram as one of his favorite literary pieces. The epigram is dated May 4, 1877. He must have been a law student at the time, as he graduated two years later. My intention is to translate this epigram to modern English. The prose in the Spanish version flows seamlessly, while my translation does not.
Without much adieu, here it is:
What do you know, Luciano?
You are a "know it all"
You seem insignificant,
you live forgotten and alone.
While I, with frankness
have limited knowledge
my name is known
have published three tomes.
If you were a stone in water
said Luciano, you would sink to the bottom
it is much brighter in the surface
if you throw a cork in the water
the same can be said of humans and objects
the shallow people float
while the solid ones plunge to the bottom
while I rapidly sink to the bottom
you float to the surface like a cork.
Without much adieu, here it is:
What do you know, Luciano?
You are a "know it all"
You seem insignificant,
you live forgotten and alone.
While I, with frankness
have limited knowledge
my name is known
have published three tomes.
If you were a stone in water
said Luciano, you would sink to the bottom
it is much brighter in the surface
if you throw a cork in the water
the same can be said of humans and objects
the shallow people float
while the solid ones plunge to the bottom
while I rapidly sink to the bottom
you float to the surface like a cork.
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