Octavio Paz's "Between What I See and What I Say"

This is a sweet poem by a Mexican poet, translated into English for your inspection.

By Octavio Paz (Nobel Prize Winner)

Between what I see and what I say,

between what I say and what I keep silent,

between what I keep silent and what I dream,

between what I dream and what I forget: poetry.

It slips between yes and no,

Says what I keep silent,

Keeps silent what I say,

Dreams what I forget.

It is not speech: it is an act.

It is an act of speech.

Poetry speaks and listens:

It is real, And as soon as I say

It is real, it vanishes.

Is it then more real?

Tangible idea, intangible word:

Poetry comes and goes

Between what is and what is not.

It weaves and unweaves reflections.

Poetry scatters eyes on a page, scatters words on our eyes.

Eyes speak, words look, looks think.

To hear thoughts, see what we say,

Touch the body of an idea.

Eyes close, the words open.

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Octavio Paz's "Between What I See and What I Say"