Federico García Lorca trans. by Sarah Arvio

[Water where do you go]

Water where do you go

—Down the river I go laughing
to the shores of the sea

Sea where do you go

—Up the river I go looking
for a place I can rest

Poplar what will you do

—I won’t say a thing
I’m trembling

What do I wishwhat don’t I wish
on the river and on the sea

Four birds with nowhere to go
in the tall poplar

Federico García Lorca's "Trees," along with "Burla of Don Pedro on Horseback," "They Cut Down Three Trees," "Hunter," "Little Madrigal," "[Water where do you go]," and "March Orchard," can be read in the print edition of The Arkansas International 3.

Federico García Lorca (Granada, 1898–1936) is considered one of the greatest poets and playwrights of the twentieth century. He was murdered by Fascist forces at the outset of the Spanish Civil War.

Sarah Arvio is the author of night thoughts: 70 dream poems & notes from an analysis, Sono: Cantos, and Visits from the Seventh. These poems are forthcoming in a new volume of the works of Federico García Lorca,
Poet in Spain: New Translations (Alfred A. Knopf, 2017).