Adriana Díaz Enciso

Adriana Díaz Enciso was born in Mexico and has lived in London since 1999. She has published (in Mexico) several books of poetry, novels and collections of short stories, and in the UK the poetry pamphlet Flint (Contraband Books). She’s the author of many lyrics for Mexican rock band Santa Sabina, and has written for the stage and TV. Her most recent novel, Ciudad doliente de Dios (Doleful City of God), published in Mexico by Alfaguara and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), is inspired by William Blake’s Prophetic Poems. Her latest literary translations include George Eliot’s The Lifted Veil and Walter de la Mare’s Seaton’s Aunt, also for the UNAM. She has contributed to over 30 literary publications in Mexico and other countries and is a columnist for Literal Magazine. In the UK she has published in Poetry London, Modern Poetry in Translation, Wormwood, and in an anthology of short stories for Egaeus Press. For several years she was the secretary of the Blake Society, and co-founder of the project to acquire Blake’s cottage in Felpham and turn it into a centre for creation. She’s also been a trustee for Modern Poetry in Translation. She’s currently working on her fifth novel (written in English) and on the translation of a selection of British poet David Harsent’s work.

Song of Deliverance

Hallowed ―
to be blessed to be mothered
cradled in her arms in the soil in the earth
to be kissed to be suckled
to be saved to be ravaged
to be hid in love’s womb to be loved to be[womb
to be mother and hailed
to crawl to weep to bleed
to bless to say God bless
to kiss your face bury one’s face
to love to love and die
to curl up in the cave
and dream