El Apellido - Nicolas Guillen English Translation

¡Pero que me lo roben, que me lo quiten! Oiganme, muchachos, que me lo roben: en la calle, en la hamaca, en la siesta, en la noria, en la fonda, en el café con leche, en el trago de ron que me bebo en silencio.

The most authoritative English versions can be found in bilingual anthologies that preserve the original Spanish alongside the translated text: My Last Name by Roberto Márquez: Featured in the anthology My Last Name and Other Poems , this is the most widely cited academic translation. The Surname by Robert Márquez and David Arthur McMurray: Included in Man-making Words: Selected Poems of Nicolás Guillén 2. Core Meaning & Themes The poem is a profound meditation on the colonial branding of African descendants in the Americas. Course Hero Identity Erasure: el apellido nicolas guillen english translation

This is the poem’s most famous image. A scar is permanent, ugly, and evidence of a wound. The English keeps the simile intact because it is culturally universal. ¡Pero que me lo roben, que me lo quiten