A Poem by / Cerdd gan James McConachie

Translated by / Cyfieithwyd gan Siân Melangell Dafydd

Cusp of the Last Cold Moon

Digging in cowshit, tired after the trip over the mountains from the delta, the striped sleeping vines at sunrise on the plateau, that stretch of road where I always slow, where the barrel of a boar would up and wreck the car. A scrabble-handed lunch off the end of a knife under the great cervera. Olivas muertas, dry salchichón, three tragos of country wine and the wind racing the hail-harrowed clouds over the big field. Bright blue, and a bloom of water-thin sun is walked up the track to the smile on my face. This fine day of such seen things under the wild, high light. At dusk, bats fit their folds to the eaves, musk of almond blossom honey on the breeze. Cervera – a True Service tree. Olivas muertas – black olives cured by freezing out in the open. Salchichón – a dry cured sausage Tragos – swallows, as in ‘to swallow’

Pen pella’r Lleuad Oer Olaf

Cloddio mewn tail gwartheg, wedi ymlâdd ’rôl taith dros y mynyddoedd o'r delta, y gwinwydd streipiog yn cysgu ar godiad haul ar y llwyfandir, y rhipyn ffordd hwnnw lle byddaf bob amser yn arafu, lle byddai casgen bol baedd yn ymddangos a chwalu’r car. Cinio llaw-scrabble o ben arall cyllell dan y cervera enfawr. Olivas muertas, salchichón sych, tri tragos o win cefn gwlad a'r gwynt yn rasio cymylau cenllysg dros y cae mawr. Glas llachar, a blodeuo’r haul dŵr-dennau yn draed mân i fyny’r lôn at wên fy wyneb. Y diwrnod braf hwn o bethau’n cael eu tystio o dan y golau gwyllt, uchel. Yn y cyfnos, ystlumod yn ffitio’u plygiadau i'r bondo, a mwsg mêl blodau almon ar yr awel. Cervera – Coeden a elwir yn ‘true service’ i’w gwahaniaethu oddi wrth goeden ‘wild service tree’ Olivas muertas – olewydd du wedi eu cwrio drwy eu rhewi yn yr awyr agored. Salchichón – selsig wedi cwrio’n sych Tragos – llynciadau

James McConachie’s poetry has appeared in Iambapoet, Black Bough, Eat the Storms, and his essays and short stories, have been published by the Dark Mountain Project and Pilgrim House magazine. His debut collection from Black Bough will be published in 2024. He has been nominated for the Pushcart and BOTN.