Anne Sexton

El Sermón de los doce agradecimientos

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¿Enero?
Este es un mes tonto.
Es fraudulento.
No se limpia. Las gallinas
ponen huevos con manchas de sangre.
No compartas tu pan con nadie
para que nunca más se levante.
No comas lentejas o el pelo se te caerá.

No te fíes de febrero
excepto si tu gata tiene gatitos,
palpitando en la nieve.
No utilices cuchillo y tenedor
a menos que haya un deshielo
como el bostezo de un bebé.
En este mes el sol
causa un dolor de cabeza
como la bofetada de un ángel en la cara.

Los terremotos significan marzo.
El dragón se revolverá
y la tierra se abrirá como una herida.
Habrá grandes lluvias o nieve,
así que guarda algo de carbón para tu tío.
El sol de este mes lo cura todo.
Por eso dicen las viejas:
Deja que el sol de marzo brille en mi hija,
pero deja al de febrero que brille en mi nuera.
Sin embargo, si vas a una fiesta
vestido de anticristo
te congelarás hasta morir por la mañana.

Durante los temporales de abril
la ostra emerge del mar,
abriendo su concha,
y la lluvia entra en ella;
cuando la inundan las gotas de lluvia
se convierte en perla.
Así que sal de excursión,
abre tu cuerpo,
y da a luz perlas.

¿Junio y julio?
Estos son los meses
llamados del Agua Hirviente.
Hay sudor en el gato, pero la uva
se desposa a sí misma al sol.

Duda en agosto.
Ten timidez.
Deja que tus dedos tiemblen en las sandalias.
Sin embargo vendimia la uva
y come confiadamente.
La uva es la sangre de Dios.
Coge el cuchillo con cuidado
o decapitarás a Juan el Bautista.

Toca la Cruz en septiembre,
golpéala tres veces
y di en voz alta el nombre del Señor.
Pon siete cuencos de sal por la noche en el tejado
y a la mañana siguiente predecirán la humedad del mes de lluvia.
No te desmayes en septiembre
o despertarás en una ciudad muerta.

Si alguien muere en octubre
no barras la casa durante tres días
o desaparecerá el resto de ti.
Tampoco pises la cabeza de un niño
pues el diablo entrará por tus oídos
como música.

¿Noviembre?
Aféitate,
ya tengas pelo o no.
El pelo no es bueno,
a nada le esta permitido crecer,
a todo le está permitido morir.
Porque nada crece
puedes tener la tentación de contar las estrellas,
pero, cuidado,
contar las estrellas en noviembre
causa forúnculos.
Cuídate de las personas altas:
se vuelven locas.
No hagas daño a la tórtola
porque es un gran zapato
que se ha tragado la sangre de Cristo.

¿Diciembre?
El cuatro de diciembre
el agua brota del ratón.
Pon hierbas en sus ojos y cuece el maíz
y ponlo lejos por la noche,
de modo que el Señor pueda pisotearlo,
y te traerá suerte.
Durante muchos días el Señor ha estado
encerrado en el horno.
Después Él está cocido,
pero Él nunca muere, nunca muere.

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Nota
Los doce agradecimientos son más bien diez: los de junio y julio se reúnen en uno y el de mayo en realidad no está, no he podido averiguar por qué razón.

En tribe/net (este sitio está cerrado desde febrero de 2017 según Wikipedia) aparecía este comentario:

I have always enjoyed reading Sexton's "The Sermon of the Twelve Acknowledgments" ~ it's spell-like, superstitious, and humorous qualities. So I researched the poem further, and believe that Sexton was inspired to write this 'religious' poem from "Folk-lore of the Holy Land, Moslem, Christian and Jewish", by J. E. Hanauer [1907]. Here is the original text:

A POPULAR CALENDAR AND SOME SAYINGS

Monday.--Go into debt for your food, but do not work on a Monday. Do not visit an infirm person on a Monday, for your doing so will augment his sufferings. If you spend any of your money on Monday morning you will be a loser the whole week through. Maidens fast on Mondays, in order that they may be soon married; and old women in order that St Michael may be with them when they die.

Wednesday.--Every Wednesday has at least one unlucky hour.

Friday.--Whoever falls sick on a Friday will die. If a person is born on a Friday he will either die himself, or else his father or mother will. If a mother strike her son on the eye on a Friday, whilst standing on the door-step at the time when the muezzin calls to prayer, she causes the Jân to ride the child and drive him mad. The great underground river which runs past the Damascus gate stops running, in order to worship, on Fridays. Do not draw water from a well on Fridays at the time of the muezzin's call to prayer. Should you do so the Jân in the well will snatch away your intellect.

Saturday.--It is a meritorious act to visit (the graves of) the dead on Saturdays.

Kanûn el Awwal = December.
On St Barbara's Day (Dec. 4), water gushes out at the mouse-hole. Maidens put kohl to their eyes; and in every family corn is boiled. A plate of this boiled grain is set apart for each member of the household, relatives, friends, etc., respectively, and, with sugar and pomegranate seeds sprinkled over it, is put away for the night, in order that Mar Saba, whose day is that immediately after St Barbara's, may trample upon it and bless the household and the household stores.
The local form of the legend of St Barbara is curious and runs thus:--
"Barbara's father was a great Roman officer, a Pagan, who lived in the Kula‘a or Citadel at Jerusalem, where, it is said, his dwelling still exists. The daughter was converted to Christianity, and as she refused to recant, her father and brother were so angry that they shut her up for four days in a hot oven. When, at the end of the time they opened the oven, the maiden, to their great surprise, came forth alive and well. As she still refused to deny Christ it was resolved to boil her to death. A great cauldron full of water, was therefore put on the fire; but when it began to boil and the heathen were about to put Barbara in, it was found to be so full of wheat that there was no room for the saint. Her father and brother then took their swords and between them slew her, but were themselves struck by lightning immediately afterwards." St Barbara's Day is kept by Latins, Greeks, and Armenians.

Kanûn eth Thâni = January.
This month is dumb (i.e. damp and miserable) and so cold that the hens lay blood-stained eggs. On New Year's Day the table is left as it is, with the dishes and food upon it, after meals in order that the mighty ones amongst the Jân (El furrâs el Janìyeh) may deposit bags of gold upon it. On other days of the year, however, the table is not left in this condition. If it were it would be carried off by angels.
At the Feast of the Epiphany, the dough rises without being leavened, and leaven made from this dough must on no account be lent to anyone. Special graces are showered down at the Epiphany, and it is said that the trees on the banks of the Jordan adore the Saviour on this festival. (See "Animal and Plant-lore" chapter.) Whoever eats lentils during the twelve days following the Feast of the Nativity is sure to be smitten with the mange.

Shebât = February.
A smiter, a plunger, or wallower, and nevertheless with a summer-scent about him. No reliance can be placed on February. This is the month for cats to kitten. The sunshine of February sets the head throbbing, i.e. causes violent headaches.

Adâr = March.
Adâr is the father of earthquakes and showers. Save up your largest pieces of charcoal for your uncle Adâr. He will satisfy you with seven great snow-falls, not reckoning small ones. And yet, during Adâr, the shepherd can dry his drenched clothing without a fire. It is said that the sunshine of Adâr causes clothes hung out to dry to become exceedingly white. For this reason it is a favourite time for women to do their washing and more especially to wash their "azârs," i.e. the white sheets in which they envelop themselves when they go abroad. The sunshine of Adâr also makes the complexion fair. Therefore old women say, "The sunshine of Shebât for my daughter-in-law (because it causes headache); that of Adâr for my daughter, (because it beautifies the complexion); and of Nisân (April) for my senility (because it brings fresh life and vigour). On the Festival of the Forty Martyrs it is customary to light forty wicks, placed in oil, in honour of those saints "who were Christians of the days of Nero. In order to force them to recant they were exposed naked the whole of a snowy night in Adâr, with revelry and festivity going on before their eyes in a palace in front of them; and they were informed that if during the night any of them desired to deny Christ, all he had to do was to enter the palace and join in the festivities. At midnight one of them did so; but his place was immediately taken by one of the Roman sentries, who thus proved his sincerity in confessing the Saviour. Next morning the whole party, whose number had thus been preserved intact, were found frozen to death." The three first days of Adâr are called "El Mustakridât" a name which means "Lent out ones," and is generally explained by the following legend:--
"An aged Bedawi shepherdess, keeping her flocks in one of the wadies trending downwards to the Dead Sea, was heard by Shebât, who is thought of as a personality, mocking him because he had failed to send rain. Furious at being thus derided Shebât said to Adâr, 'O my brother Adâr, I have only three days left me, and they are not sufficient to enable me to be revenged on the old woman who has derided me. Lend me, therefore, three days of thine.' Adâr willingly granted his brother's request. Six days of heavy rain were the result, and the seyls, or winter-torrents from the hills swept the old woman and her flock into the sea." If the year is to be good, it depends upon Adâr. The Moslems say, "The meat and leben of Adâr are forbidden to the infidels," meaning that they are so good that the Christians must not taste them--a chuckle at the strict Fast of Lent.

Nisân = April.
Nisân is the life of mankind, i.e. it revives and invigorates. During the rain-showers of Nisân, the bivalves (oysters) living at the bottom of the sea, rise to the surface and open their shells. As soon as a rain-drop falls into one of these open oysters, the shell closes and the creature sinks to the bottom. The rain-drop inside it becomes a pearl.
It is customary for people to pic-nic out during Nisân and drink milk at such pic-nics.

Iy-yâr = May.
Iy-yâr ripens the apricots and cucumbers. Serpents and partridges become white (I suppose that this means that during this month snakes change their skins and partridges moult).

Hezeran and Tammûz = June and July.
Boil the water in the cruze, i.e. these are hot months.

Ab = August.
The dreaded month. However, pluck the cluster (of grapes) and fear nought, i.e. the grapes are ripe, and may be eaten with impunity. Beware of holding a knife on Ab 29, the Day of the beheading of St John the Baptist.

Eylûl = September.
On the Eve of the Festival of the Cross (Holy Cross Day, Sept. 14th) it is customary to expose on the house-top during the night seven small heaps of salt, which respectively represent the seven months following Eylûl. By noticing next morning which of these heaps of salt is dampest it is possible to know in which months there will be heavy rain.

Tashrìn el Awwal and Tashrìn eth-thâni = October and November.
People born during these two months are swift to be angry.
In case of a death in the house, it is not permitted to sweep it for three days, lest other members of the household should die in consequence.
Be careful never to spill out water without "naming," otherwise the Jân may molest and stick to you. Beware never to step over a boy's head lest he either get a scabby head or die in consequence.
During the period between the Carnival and Palm Sunday, the souls (ghosts) of the departed have permission to visit their living friends.
Every odd number, and especially the number eleven, is unlucky.
It is better to meet a demon (kird) the first thing in the morning than to meet a man who has naturally a hairless face.
A one-eyed man is very difficult to get on with, and a man with a "kussa" or pointed goat's beard is more cunning than Iblìs himself.
Boils are the consequence of the sufferer's having attempted to count the stars. He who spills salt will suffer from tumours.
It is a sin to kill a turtle-dove because this bird was tinged with drops of the Saviour's blood at the Crucifixion.
If a quarrel is proceeding, and a person present turns a shoe upside down, the strife will become more violent.
Tall people are simpletons.
If a dog howls at night under the window of a house, it is a sign that someone in that house will die.
Should you hear a dog howling at night turn a shoe upside down and he will be sure to stop.

NOTE. The overturning of a shoe has been explained to me as an act of respect towards the Jân. When Allah is worshipped the face is directed towards Him and the soles of the feet are furthest away. By turning the sole of a shoe, therefore, furthest away from the Jân, one implies a respect bordering on worship. The demons accept the compliment and are mollified, and Allah, who is good, and knows that no insult is intended to Him, does not resent the act.

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☛ Anne Sexton. The Sermon of the Twelve Acknowledgments (goodreads.com)
Trad. E. Gutiérrez Miranda 2016

                    ∼

The Sermon of the Twelve Acknowledgments

January?
The month is dumb.
It is fraudulent.
It does not cleanse itself.
The hens lay blood-stained eggs.
Do not lend your bread to anyone
lest it nevermore rise.
Do not eat lentils or your hair will fall out.

Do not rely on February
except when your cat has kittens,
throbbing into the snow.
Do not use knives and forks
unless there is a thaw,
like the yawn of a baby.
The sun in this month
begets a headache
like an angel slapping you in the face.

Earthquakes mean March.
The dragon will move,
and the earth will open like a wound.
There will be great rain or snow
so save some coal for your uncle.
The sun of this month cures all.
Therefore, old women say:
Let the sun of March shine on my daughter,
but let the sun of February shine on my daughter-in-law.
However, if you go to a party
dressed as the anti-Christ
you will be frozen to death by morning.

During the rainstorms of April
the oyster rises from the sea
and opens its shell —
rain enters it —
when it sinks the raindrops
become the pearl.
So take a picnic,
open your body,
and give birth to pearls.

June and July?
These are the months
we call Boiling Water.
There is sweat on the cat but the grape
marries herself to the sun.

Hesitate in August.
Be shy.
Let your toes tremble in their sandals.
However, pick the grape
and eat with confidence.
The grape is the blood of God.
Watch out when holding a knife
or you will behead St. John the Baptist.

Touch the Cross in September,
knock on it three times
and say aloud the name of the Lord.
Put seven bowls of salt on the roof overnight and the next morning the damp one will foretell the month of rain.
Do not faint in September
or you will wake up in a dead city.

If someone dies in October
do not sweep the house for three days
or the rest of you will go.
Also do not step on a boy's head
for the devil will enter your ears
like music.

November?
Shave,
whether you have hair or not.
Hair is not good,
nothing is allowed to grow,
all is allowed to die.
Because nothing grows
you may be tempted to count the stars
but beware,
in November counting the stars
gives you boils.
Beware of tall people,
they will go mad.
Don't harm the turtle dove
because he is a great shoe
that has swallowed Christ's blood.

December?
On December fourth
water spurts out of the mouse.
Put herbs in its eyes and boil corn
and put the corn away for the night
so that the Lord may trample on it
and bring you luck.
For many days the Lord has been
shut up in the oven.
After that He is boiled,
but He never dies, never dies.

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☛ PyoZ ☚