Do you remember
when Ernesto disappeared
in a puff of smoke
as he was bringing the cows in from the meadows?

And when the girl Rosamina
fell in love with the son of a man
and they faced certain death
because they were incapable of creating anything,
so they withdrew again into images more beautiful than anything?

All of us, at one time or another,
have travelled in the company of smugglers,
or pilfered whole sacks of grain.

Likewise, the lady who had to grit her teeth
and shake the columns of the white hall.

She could smell the fresh lumber
though the door led nowhere.

Can you imagine her singing a love song?
But it’s true! It’s true!