El amor [English translation]

In the Amazon rainforest, the first woman

and the first man looked at each other with curiosity.

It was a funny thing, what they had between their legs.

- Were you cut?- asked the man.

- No - replied her - It has always been like this.

He examined her closely. Scratched his head.

There was a gaping wound there. And he said:

- Don't eat cassava, or babanans, or any fruit

that splits open upon maturing. I will cure you.

Lie down in the hammock and rest.

She complied. Patiently, she drank the herbal concoctions and

allowed him to apply the pomades and poultices.

She had to grit her teeth not to laugh,

when he said- don´t worry.

She liked the game, although she was growing tired

of fasting and spending her days lying on the hammock.

The memories of fruits made her mouth water.

One afternoon, the man came in running

through the forest.

He jumped, ecstatic, and cried:

- I found it! I found it!

He had just seen the male monkey curing the female one

on a treetop.

-It goes like this- said the man, approaching the woman.

When the long embrace ended, a musky scent

of flowers and fruits flooded the air.

Of the bodies, lying together, came off vapours and bright lights

never before seen, and such was their beauty that

both suns and gods were overcome with shame.

• Artist:Eduardo Galeano
• Album:Memoria del fuego