ARESTI, Gabriel

My Father’s House

I shall defend

The house of my father.

Against wolves,

Against drought,

Against usury,

Against the Justice,

I shall defend

The house

of my father.

I shall lose

cattle,

orchards,

and pinewoods;

I shall lose

Interests,

Income,

And dividends,

But I shall defend the house of my father.

They will take away my weapons

And with my hands I shall defend

The house of my father;

They will cut off my hands

And with my arms I shall defend

The house of my father;

They will leave me

Without arms,

Without shoulders,

And without breasts,

And with my soul I shall defend

The house of my father.

I shall die,

My soul will be lost,

My descendence will be lost,

But the house of my father

Will remain

Standing

If for telling the truth

If for telling the truth

they must kill

my daughters,

rape my wife,

pull down

the house

where I live;

if for telling the truth

they must cut

off the hand

I write with,

the tongue

I sing with;

if for telling the truth

they must rub

out my name

from the golden pages

of Basque literature,

never in any way

nor in any place

will they be able

to make me shut up.