Decir: Hacer by Octavio Paz

[phatjew]

The original can be found here.

SPEECH: ACTION
For Roman Jakobson

1

Between what I see and say,
between what I say and guard,
between what I guard and dream,
between what I dream and forget,
poetry.

It slides
into the yes and the no:
                                    Says
what I guard,
                         guards
what I say,
                         dreams
what I forget.
                            It is not speech:
it is an action.
                         An action
that is a speech.
                                Poetry
speaks as it listens:
                                  it is real.
And as soon as I say
                              it is real,
vanishes.
                    ¿Is it more real so?