I was aboard the train a few days ago when I saw the familiar verses of Luis de Gongora’s poem translated in Filipino. Longfellow translated the first lines of “Andeme yo caliente” in this manner:
Let me go warm and merry still;
And let the world laugh, an’ it will.
Let other muse on earthly things,
The fall of thrones, the fate of kings,
And those whose fame the world doth fill;
Whilst muffins sit enthroned in trays,
And orange-punch in winter sways
The merry sceptre of my days;
And let the world laugh, an’ it will.
