I'm no very smart singer and I've very little skill,
but when it's my turn to sing I put up a good fight for myself -
because I'm like a mate-pot, I work when they open my mouth.
Since you're choosing what questions you fancy you're choosing the thorniest kind,
but that doesn't worry me so much and I'll answer you in my own way:
the Law is made for everyone but it only rules the poor.
The Law is a spider's web -- that's how I see it, though I'm ignorant.
It's not feared by the rich men, and never by the ones in command --
because the big flies break out of it and it only catches little ones.
The Law is like rain -- it can't fall the same everywhere.
The one who gets wet may grumble, but it's a simple matter -
the Law's like a knife, it doesn't hurt the one who's holding it.
A sword is what people call it* and this name suits it well.
The ones who control it, they can see whereabouts they're going to cut -
but it falls on whoever's underneath and cuts without seeing who.
There are plenty of learned Professors and I don't doubt they know a lot.
I'm just a poor rough black man and don't understand much of this -
but every day I can see their law is like a funnel, with a big end and a small.
Martin Fierro
Black man, I'll tell you once again I've taken your measurement.
You've got plenty out of life and I'm enjoying our encounter -
I can see you've got enough capital inside you, for this game.
And so now I'll tell you -- because it’s my duty to do it,
and it's doing truth an honour to give way before what's true –
you've got darkness on the outside of you but inside you've got light.
No one must ever say that I imposed on your patience:
and as a fair exchange, if you want to put any questions to me,
you've already got my permission and you can start right away.
El Negro
Don't you stick now, tongue of mine, don't let this worry you.
Nobody hits without missing first -- and even if your good name's at stake,
when you're sailing of your own free will you've no right to fear the sea.
I'll put my questions to you since that's what you invite me to do ...
And you'll have won this competition if you can explain to me
the nature of Time, and Measurement, and Weight, and Quantity.
The victory will go to you if you know how to answer this.
It's my duty to warn you fairly, so don't be surprised at it,
up to now there's been no man has known how to explain them to me.
I want to know and I'm ignorant because it's not in my books,
and your answer will be able to serve me as a guide
as to why the Everlasting Lord created quantity.
Martin Fierro
Negro, you hit the mark neatly as a carancho lands on its nest.*
I can see you're well prepared but you'll find I'm ready too –
we'll see if I give you an answer and if you'll admit defeat.
There's one sun and one world and a one and only moon:
so you see, God never created any Quantity at all.
The Being of all beings only made Unity –
and the rest is what man has created after he learnt to count.
El Negro
We'll see if another question gets a good answer from you.
The being who created life must keep it in his records,
but I'm ignorant of what motive he had to make Measurement.
Martin Fierro
Listen closely to the argument I'll give from the little I know:
Measurement was invented by man for his own good.
And don't be surprised at the reason -- it's an easy one to guess -
God only needed to measure one thing and that was the life of man.
El Negro
If your wisdom doesn't fail you now I'll grant you the victory.
A man whose profession is singing has to learn all of these things...
And now, I want you to explain to me what is the meaning of Weight.
Martin Fierro
God keeps among his secrets the secret containing this,
and he commanded that all weights should always fall to the earth.
And to my way of understanding, since there's good and bad in the world,
the reason for Weight was for weighing the sins of mortal men.
El Negro
If you can reply to this question consider that you've won.
I can acknowledge the better man ... So answer me right away
when it was that God made Time, and why he divided it up.
Martin Fierro
Black man, I'm going to tell you as far as my knowledge goes.
Time is only the delaying of things that are to come –
it never had a beginning nor will it ever end,
because Time is a wheel, and another wheel is Eternity.
And if man divides it up he only does it, I guess,
to know how much he's lived so far or how much he's got left to live.
Now I've given you my answers - but a good start's not enough to win.
If you've got another question or you've forgotten anything,
I'm always at your service to clear up any doubts.
It's not out of pride I'm doing this nor because I want to boast,
but you need to be determined when you've got to fight to win ...
And I'll invite you to sing on the subject of the work of a cattle-hand.
So, black man, start preparing all your wisdom contains -
and without a slip of your tongue you've to tell me what work's done
according to the weather in the months with R in them.
El Negro
No one ought to take advantage of a person's ignorance,
and though anyone can put me down who's got more art than me,
I'm not going anywhere to get myself hit on the head.
I made it clear, when it comes to reading that I'm as round as a J –
I've no shame at being defeated, but I'll tell you plain,
I won't stand for it if anyone tries to kick me around.
It's a fair law that the slowest is the one to lose the race --
and that's what happens to anyone when the competition's between
one singer who's only medium sized with another who's full grown.
Out on the plain you must have seen a man who has lost his way *
going round in circles, desperately, not knowing which way to turn ...
Just the same thing happens to a poor singer who's lost the game.
The trees too are set groaning if there's a gale lashing them:
so now if my complaints burst out in a bitter way, it's because
the night that defeat brings is very long and very sad.
And from this day onwards I call Heaven to witness me --
I'll come right out and say it -- if my heart should be inspired
I won't sing for the glory of it but just to console myself.
When he's got no more to hope for a man's life turns to despair.
It's no good setting your heart on things that don't last long –
if a poor man finds any happiness it's a sure sign of grief to come.
And this sad lesson will last me as long as I live.
Even though I may find some comfort I'll never again take flight –
if you're not born to reach the skies its no good raising your sight.
And now I'll beg all you who are listening will give me leave to say
that when I made up my mind to come here it was not only to sing,
but because I've got, besides that, another duty to be done.
I've told you that from my mother there were ten children born.
But the first of them is no longer alive -- the one who was best loved of all –
he died by foul means at the hands of a drunk in a brawl.
And we were left like orphans the nine brothers who remained.
Ever since that day, believe me, we've mourned him without relief –
but we've never ever come across the man who murdered him.
And the bones of that dear brother can be left to rest in peace.
I've not come here to disturb them -- but if the right occasion comes
I trust to God that this account will be settled as it ought.
And if we sing against each other again to make an end of this --
for all that I respect you, if you agree, we'll sing
on the subject of the unjust deaths that certain people bring about.
And so at this point, your Honours, by way of parting I'll say
that the brothers of the dead man are still very much alive --
they have not forgotten that murder and they're keeping all this in mind.
And whatever is going to happen is so deep a mystery
that it's not for me to come forward and act the prophet here –
you'll all find out afterwards what destiny has in store.
Martin Fierro
At last you've shut your trap after all that chattering.
I'd started to have a suspicion seeing you get so high flown
that you were holding in a mouthful and were shy of spitting it out.
And now we know just where we stand that's enough polite conversation.
There's no need to be anxious about finding the right occasion –
I can see by now there another sort of party starting up.
I can't tell what's going to happen, I'm not a prophet either,
but I'll follow my right road steady on to the end –
everyone's bound to carry through the law of his destiny.
First it was the frontier through a judge persecuting me,
after that were the indians -- and now for a change of scene
here come these blackamoors to cheer up my old age.
His mother brought ten into the world which not every woman could do,
and maybe she'll lose all the ten in the same circumstances -
the mulita has a litter of nine and all of them just the same.
I've never been able to get along with any low coloured man --
they generally turn vicious when they get their temper up –
they start to act like spiders, always ready to bite.
I've known a whole lot of black men and all of them fighters too:
some of them were pretty sharp with their eyes and the way they'd move ...
If I live to do it -- curse it! I'll give them a good ... tale to tell.
But every one of us has to haul in the yoke he finds himself in.
I don't go looking for fights these days -- I've no pleasure in arguments --
but dark shadows don't frighten me nor shapes that come looming up.
I thought I'd finished skinning the carcase but there's still the tail left to do –
and it looks as though I'm not done yet with this happy gathering --
because this is what they call hitting a nail that's already gone right through.
NOTES to II.30
II.30.3] counterpoint] in the payada the two singers improvised and answered each other's chosen themes. A central activity in gaucho tradition – a legendary payador is Santos Vega, who could only be defeated by the Devil. Subjects for improvisation could range from practical to metaphysical, with proverbial sayings called into play. Tiscornia's edition of the poem traces most of the more abstract themes in this canto to old Spanish folk-dramas and riddles.
II.30.13] tenth] no popular superstition explains this. Tiscornia attributes it to ten as a mystic number, or the larger tenth bead in a rosary.
II.30.14] maca] (ma-CA) a slow and cumbersome river bird that takes its young on its back while swimming.
II.30.19] pull... slacken] an image from the technique of lassooing.
II.30.23] J because it's round] a deliberate variation on "O because it's round", as at verse 77.
II.30.36] magpie] urraca.
II.30.42] souls that have died] first sign of an ulterior motive in the challenge
II.30.56] a sword] as in figures of Justice blindfold, holding scales and a sword.
II.30.65] carancho] the carancho drops precisely on its nest from flight (see I.9.1).
II.30.79] lost his way] see I.10.21-23.
And after this exchange of words whose intention must be plain by now –
the bystanders succeeded in stopping a fight starting up:
they got between them, and things stayed quiet.
Martin Fierro and the boys avoided the argument:
they mounted, and riding slowly, to show they weren't leaving from fear,
they reached the edge of a stream and there they got down.
They unsaddled the horses and sat in a circle,
talking among themselves about endless little things -
as separation breeds a large family of stories to be told.
There they spent the night by the light of the stars -
as that's a curtain for your bed you can find wherever you are,
and a gaucho, better than anyone knows how to make himself comfortable.
His saddle-blankets make the mattress, his saddle the pillow,
there's the sheepskin for softness, and to keep himself from the dew
he'll cover himself with his poncho or a blanket, right over his head.
He'll keep his knife beside him, as that's a wise precaution;
with the bridle and whip to hand, and the horse close by
which he's tethered safely by burying the lasso-ring –
though using the lasso for tying up gives a bad idea of a man.*
Like this, he'll sleep peacefully the whole night through;
and if it's a good way off the track, as caution indicates,
you can snore stretched out at your ease safe as under your own roof.
You won't find bed-bugs on the ground -- and it's a proper-sized bed
that nobody can refuse you, and won't lead to arguments.
Besides that, you can spend your nights any way you please –
and you'll spend each one of them just as well as the one before.
And then the birds will wake you as soon as it gets light –
because sleep won't get a firm hold on you when you've gone to bed with no supper.
And so it was -- that night then was a joyful time for them all:
because everything seems happy when there's happiness in your heart.
As they couldn't live all together on account of their poverty,
they decided to separate, and that each of them would go
and find a place somewhere to make a living for himself.
And before they scattered to start a new life -
there in that solitary place Martin Fierro spoke
to his sons, and to Cruz's son, wisely, in the following way.
NOTE to II.31
a bad idea of a man] because there is a special supple rein normally used for tethering (the lasso being harder, liable to be spoilt or to hurt the horse).
Martin Fierro
A father who can advise you is more than a father, he's a friend.
So it's as a friend I warn you to be on your guard in life:
you can never tell what corner your enemy's lurking in.
A life full of misfortunes was the only school I ever had,
so don't be surprised if sometimes I make mistakes in this game –
you can't expect to know very much if you never learnt anything.
There are some men who have their heads full up with the things they know:
wise men come in all sizes, but I don't need much sense to say
that better than learning a lot of things is learning things that are good.
No kind of work is any use if it won't teach us anything.
A man has to see how things are in one glance, right away:
the first thing you have to know is to know when you're giving offence.
Don't sum up all your hopes in any one heart ever:
in the worst of troubles put your trust in God –
among men, in one only, or with great caution, two.
Shortcomings aren't like land is, they don't have boundaries.
Even the best men have them, and it's right I warn you of this:
anyone with defects of his own should overlook them in others.
If a man is your friend never leave him in the lurch,
but don't ask him for anything, nor depend too much on him:
the truest friend, always, is to behave honorably.
It's a bad thing to be attacked either by fear or greed:
so, don't upset yourselves over perishable goods –
don't show off your wealth to rich men and never fail the poor.
If you respect other people you'll get by, even with indians.
A man needs to be discreet to save himself from annoyances:
among weak men, act cautious, and with brave ones, keep cool.
The Law is that we have to work because we need to buy.
Don't let yourselves in for the suffering that a wretched condition brings –
a lot of blood runs from the heart of a man who's obliged to beg.
A man has to work in order to earn his bread,