Translation of the song Ahora es Cuba artist Pablo Neruda

Y luego fue la sangre y la ceniza.

And then there was the blood and ashes.

Después quedaron las palmeras solas.

Afterwards the palm trees were left all alone.

Cuba, mi amor, te amarraron al potro,

Cuba, my love, they tied you to the torture rack,

te cortaron la cara,

they cut your face,

te apartaron las piernas de oro pálido,

they severed your pale golden legs,

te rompieron el sexo de granada,

they destroyed your gender with a grenade,

te atravesaron con cuchillos,

they pierce you with knives,

te dividieron, te quemaron.

they divided you, they burned you.

Por los valles de la dulzura

Through the valleys of sweetness

bajaron los exterminadores,

the exterminators came down,

y en los altos mogotes la cimera

and in the hillocks the heads

de tus hijos se perdió en la niebla,

of your children were lost in the fog,

pero allí fueron alcanzados

but there they were caught

uno a uno hasta morir,

one by one until they died,

despedazados en el tormento

hacked to pieces in the torture

sin su tierra tibia de flores

without their warm earth of flowers

que huía bajo sus plantas.

that were fleeing underneath their plants.

Cuba, mi amor, qué escalofrío

Cuba, my love, what a bitter chill

te sacudió de espuma la espuma,

shook the froth from your foam,

hasta que te hiciste pureza,

until you became pure,

soledad, silencio, espesura,

solitary, silent, dense,

y los huesitos de tus hijos

and the little bones of your children

se disputaron los cangrejos.

were fought over by the crabs.