Shipwrecked's Island

An orphan of shipwreck
I'm in a gardenless land,
without laboured soil,
one island that a volcano laid waste
in part, and savage men have invaded,
keeping now the larger half,
fruits and fish are their loot.
They put me on siege, keep me
far from banana and sea:
from this place
I have no more than defoliated rock,
where it will grow
one day lichens full of leaves
that all mornings can not
wither...
No sail
whitens black-greenish seas
In such a little island
Could I survive the other islanders?

Translation by: Ramón Cabrales