As a professional translator and editor, I know that there are certain words that simply don’t transfer neatly from one language to another. The English language has roughly twice as many words as Spanish, for instance, which can often lead to English texts conveying greater degrees of precision or nuance than their Spanish “equivalents.” But where English excels at breaking down loose concepts into multiple distinct specifics, single Spanish terms can contain multitudes.
One such apparently unassuming lexeme in Spanish—aguante—is particularly rich in meaning. The verb aguantar can signify, alternately, to wait for or await something; to hold something in (your breath, a sneeze, or an emotion); to put up with an annoyance; to go grudgingly along with something you’d rather not; to withstand a physical stress or load; or to resist, endure, outlast, or overcome a given hardship.
Resist in particular is a word that everyone here is likely familiar with. It has been used as a battle cry against the outrages of the current administration literally from day one.
But even the most ardent of Trump oppositionists can grow weary, and the inertia of our resistance might begin at times to flag. It is at such moments that a foot-stomping pick-me-up can come in handy.
So here for your enjoyment and reinvigoration is a rousing anthem by Puerto Rican group Calle 13. Written by Eduardo Cabra and René Pérez, with lyrics in Spanish and in (very rough and hurried) English translation by yours truly below. Because you won’t be singing along in English (and because I only have a few hours left before I have to post this), I haven’t bothered with any rhythm or rhyme, just giving you the gist of the ideas behind the lyrics.
So join me in a toast: To human resilience!
“El aguante”
Nacimos para aguantar lo que el cuerpo sostiene
Aguantamos lo que vino y aguantamos lo que viene
Aguantamos aunque tengamos los segundos contados
Nuestro cuerpo aguanta hasta quince minutos ahorcado
Aguantamos latigazos, que nos corten los dos brazos
Fracturas en cualquier hueso, tres semanas con un yeso
Aguantamos todo el tiempo las ganas de ir al baño
Pa' ver el cometa halley hay que aguantar setenta años
Aguantamos la escuela, la facultad, el instituto
A la hora de cenar, nos aguantamos los eructos
El pueblo de burundi sigue aguantando la hambruna
Aguantamos tres días para llegar a la luna
Aguantamos el frío del ártico, el calor del trópico
Aguantamos con anticuerpos los virus microscópicos
Aguantamos las tormentas, los huracanes, el mal clima
Aguantamos nagasaky, aguantamos hiroshima
Aunque no queramos, aguantamos nuevas leyes
Aguantamos hoy por hoy que todavía existan reyes
Castigamos al humilde y aguntamos al cruel
Aguantamos ser esclavos por nuestro color de piel
Aguantamos el capitalismo, el comunismo, el socialismo, el feudalismo
Aguantamos hasta el pendejismo
Aguantamos al culpable cuando se hace el inocente
Aguantamos cada año a nuestro pu* presidente
Coro:
Por lo que fue y por lo que pudo ser
Por lo que hay, por lo que puede faltar
Por lo que venga y por este instante
A brindar por el aguante
Por lo que fue y por lo que pudo ser
Por lo que hay, por lo que puede faltar
Por lo que venga y por este instante
Levanta el vaso y a brindar por el aguante
¡A brindar por el aguante
Aguantamos cualquier tipo de dolor aunque nos duela
Aguantamos pinochet, aguantamos a videla
A franco, mao, ríos montt, mugabe
Hitler, idi amin, stalin, bush, truman, ariel sharón y hussein
Aguantamos más de veinte campos de concentración
Cuando nadas bajo el agua, aguantas la respiración
Pa' construir una pared, aguantamos los ladrillos
El que no fuma se aguanta el olor a cigarrillo
Aguantamos que monsanto infecte nuestra comida
Aguantamos el agente naranja y los pesticidas
Cuando navegamos aguantamos el mareo
Aguantamos el salario mínimo y el desempleo
Aguantamos las malvinas y la invasión británica en la ciudad de pompeya
Aguantamos lava volcánica y dentro de la lógica
De nuestra humanidad, nos creemos la mentira de que nadie aguanta la verdad
Por lo que fue y por lo que pudo ser
Por lo que hay, por lo que puede faltar
Por lo que venga y por este instante
Levanta el vaso y a brindar por el aguante
¡A brindar por el aguante!
Aguantamos al ateo, al mormón, al cristiano
Al budista, al judío
Aguantamos al pagano
Aguantamos el que vende balas y el que la dispara
Aguantamos la muerte de lennon, la de víctor jara
Aguantamos muchas guerras, Vietnam, la guerra fría
La guerra de los cien años, la guerra de los seis días
¡Que aguanten la revancha, venimos al desquite
Hoy nuestro hígado aguanta lo que la barra invite
Por lo que fue y por lo que pudo ser
Por lo que hay, por lo que puede faltar
Por lo que venga y por este instante
A brindar por el aguante
Por lo que fue y por lo que pudo ser
Por lo que hay, por lo que puede faltar
Por lo que venga y por este instante
Levanta el vaso y a brindar por el aguante
¡A brindar por el aguante
* * * * *
“RESILIENCE”
We were born to withstand whatever our bodies must.
We withstood all that came, and we’ll withstand what’s to come.
We keep holding out hope, even seconds from death.
Our bodies can cling to life for fifteen minutes after a hanging.
We can tough out whips and lashes, the loss of both arms,
Any number of broken bones, three weeks with a cast on.
When we have to go to the bathroom, we’ve all learned to hold it.
We sit around for 70 years just to see Halley’s Comet.
We sit through our classes, or college, or high school.
We hold in our belches when we sit down to our food.
The people of Burundi are still waiting out a famine.
We fly for three days to the moon before landing.
We can survive arctic freezes, we can survive desert heats.
We can survive microscopic viruses with our antibodies.
We ride out storms and hurricanes, we thrive in the harshest conditions.
We lived on after Nagasaki, we’ve lived to tell of Hiroshima.
We resign ourselves to new laws, even when we don’t like them.
We put up to this day with kings, though we no longer need them.
We punish the meek, and we tolerate cruelty.
For the color of our skin, we’ve been made to endure slavery.
We’ve toed the line on capitalism, on communism, on socialism, on feudalism,
We can stomach all kinds of bullshit and -isms.
We tolerate the guilty when they try to play innocent
We stick it out year by year with this goddam f---ing president.
Chorus:
For all that was, for all that might once have been,
For all that is, for all that might still be missing,
For all that’s to come, and for this very moment,
Drink a toast: to our resilience!
For all that was, for all that might once have been,
For all that is, for all that might still be missing,
For all that’s to come, and for this very moment,
Raise a glass and drink a toast to our resilience!
Drink a toast: to our resilience!
We set our jaws against all kinds of pain, even when it hurts.
We stuck it out through Pinochet, we stuck it out through Videla,
Franco, Mao, Ríos Montt, Mugabe,
Hitler, Idi Amin, Stalin, Bush, Truman, Ariel Sharon and Hussein.
We’ve lived through twenty-plus concentration camps.
Swimming under water, you hold your breath.
When we build, we make a foundation to shore up our bricks.
Nonsmokers choke down clouds of cigarette smoke.
We hold our ground against Monsanto, who’s infecting our food,
We live with Agent Orange and pesticides.
When we sail, we stomach seasickness.
We make do on minimum wage and we absorb mass unemployment.
We plaster on a smile over what happened in the Maldives, and the British invasion.
In the city of Pompeii we survived a volcanic explosion.
And following humanity’s flawed logic, we believe the lie:
That no one can handle the truth.
For all that was, for all that might once have been,
For all that is, for all that might still be missing,
For all that’s to come, and for this very moment,
Raise a glass and drink a toast to our resilience!
Drink a toast: to our resilience!
We put up with atheists, Mormons, and Christians,
With Buddhists and Jews,
We even put up with pagans.
We live with weapons dealers in our midst, and we live with gunmen, too.
We endured the death of Lennon, we endured Víctor Jara’s.
We’ve endured many wars, Vietnam, the Cold War, too.
The Hundred Years’ War, and the Six-Day War in June.
Now I hope you can handle the fire, we’re here to set things right.
Our livers can take whatever the barman’s serving tonight!
For all that was, for all that might once have been,
For all that is, for all that might still be missing,
For all that’s to come, and for this very moment,
Drink a toast: to our resilience!
For all that was, for all that might once have been,
For all that is, for all that might still be missing,
For all that’s to come, and for this very moment,
Raise a glass and drink a toast to our resilience!
Drink a toast: to our resilience!