Harriak eta herriak

Stones and lands
By Joseba Sarrionandia. Original title: Harriak eta herriak

There is a corner in the world (We did not
                                         choose it when we were born)
which we believe it is our land. And the whole world is ours
                                    if our land is ours.
But we introduced wet stones
                            into our holed pockets.

Everything we did was not always
                                             what we had to do,
deads and distances started to
                                         proliferate,
and six thousands of our people in
                              a world like this, sharpened by milestones.

On the frontiers, after customs officer Henri Rousseau asked us
                                        where we are from and were we go to
we show him our wet stones
                                        since we have got stones:
"You see this stone, this reef,
                                      our house was like this..."

Land surveyors of nowhere, cartographers of a
                                     land which does not exist, that's who we are.
Our days are filled by yesterdays, we are
                                              looking for our feet.
Do you remember that ancient birthplace
                                               we lost?

We have got stones but not land.
                        We have got stones
in our holed pockets, but we will not build
                         a definitive house anywhere.
Are stones more beautiful
                              inside a wall?