TED2019
Sarah Kay: "A Bird Made of Birds"
Sarah Kay: "Un pájaro hecho de pájaros"
Filmed:
Readability: 3
1,727,091 views
"El universo ya escribió el poema que planeabas escribir", dice Sarah Kay, citando a su amigo, el poeta Kaveh Akbar. Representando "Un pájaro hecho de pájaros", comparte cómo y dónde encuentra ella la poesía. (Kay también es la presentadora del podcast de TED "Sinceramente, X." Escuchar en la aplicación Luminary podcast en luminary.link/ted)
Sarah Kay - Poet
A performing poet since she was 14 years old, Sarah Kay is the founder of Project VOICE, an organization that uses spoken word poetry as a literacy and empowerment tool. Full bio
A performing poet since she was 14 years old, Sarah Kay is the founder of Project VOICE, an organization that uses spoken word poetry as a literacy and empowerment tool. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
I have a friend named Kaveh Akbar,
who is a fellow poet.
who is a fellow poet.
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Tengo un amigo llamado Kaveh Akbar,
que es un colega poeta.
que es un colega poeta.
00:18
And Kaveh found this photo online
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Kaveh encontró una foto en Internet
00:21
of the anatomical heart of a blue whale
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del modelo anatómico
del corazón de una ballena azul
del corazón de una ballena azul
00:25
that scientists had hung
on a hook from the ceiling,
on a hook from the ceiling,
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que los científicos habían colgado
del techo con un gancho,
del techo con un gancho,
00:29
which is how they were able to observe
that the heart of a blue whale
that the heart of a blue whale
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y así fueron capaces de observar
que el corazón de una ballena azul
que el corazón de una ballena azul
00:32
is big enough that a person
can stand up fully inside of it.
can stand up fully inside of it.
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es lo suficientemente grande como para
que una persona quepa de pie adentro.
que una persona quepa de pie adentro.
00:37
And when Kaveh shared this photo online,
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Cuando Kaveh compartió esta foto en línea,
00:40
he did so with the caption,
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puso al pie de la foto:
00:42
"This is another reminder
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"Este es otro recordatorio
00:45
that the universe has already written
the poem you were planning on writing."
the poem you were planning on writing."
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de que el universo ya escribió
el poema que planeabas escribir".
el poema que planeabas escribir".
00:52
And when I first saw that,
I was horrified.
I was horrified.
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Cuando lo vi por primera vez,
quedé horrorizada.
quedé horrorizada.
00:55
I was like, "Come on, man!
I'm trying to invent new metaphors!
I'm trying to invent new metaphors!
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Dije: "Por favor, ¡estoy tratando
de inventar nuevas metáforas!
de inventar nuevas metáforas!
Estoy tratando de descubrir la belleza
que aún no se ha descubierto.
que aún no se ha descubierto.
00:58
I'm trying to discover beauty
that hasn't been discovered yet.
that hasn't been discovered yet.
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01:01
What do you mean, the universe
is always going to get there before me?"
is always going to get there before me?"
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¿Qué es eso de que el universo
siempre lo hará antes que yo?".
siempre lo hará antes que yo?".
01:05
And I know this isn't
a uniquely poet problem,
a uniquely poet problem,
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Sé que este no es un problema
exclusivo de los poetas,
exclusivo de los poetas,
01:08
but on days when the world
feels especially big
feels especially big
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pero en esos días en que el mundo
se siente especialmente grande
se siente especialmente grande
01:14
or especially impossible
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o especialmente imposible
01:16
or especially full of grandeur,
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o particularmente lleno de grandeza,
01:19
those are the days when I feel,
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esos son los días que siento:
01:22
"What do I possibly have to contribute
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"¿Y yo qué puedo aportar
01:25
to all of this?"
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a esto?".
01:28
Not long ago, I saw this video
that some of you may have seen.
that some of you may have seen.
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Hace poco vi un video
que quizás algunos hayan visto.
que quizás algunos hayan visto.
01:31
It makes the internet rounds
every couple of months.
every couple of months.
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Circula por Internet cada par de meses.
01:34
There are these birds
that are called starlings,
that are called starlings,
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Hay unos pájaros llamados estorninos,
01:36
and they fly in what's
called a "murmuration,"
called a "murmuration,"
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que vuelan en "bandadas",
01:40
which is generally
just a big cloud of birds.
just a big cloud of birds.
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o sea, una nube de pájaros enorme.
01:43
And someone happened to catch
a quick video on their phone
a quick video on their phone
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Una persona logró capturar
un video corto en su celular
un video corto en su celular
01:47
of these starlings flying.
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de estos estorninos en vuelo.
01:50
And at first, it's just an amorphous blob,
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Al principio, es solo una mancha amorfa,
01:53
and then there's a moment
where the birds shift,
where the birds shift,
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y después hay un momento
donde los pájaros se mueven,
donde los pájaros se mueven,
01:56
and they form the shape of a starling
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y toman la forma ¡de un estornino
02:00
in the sky!
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en el cielo!
02:02
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
02:03
And as soon as I saw it, I was like,
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Ni bien lo vi, me dije:
02:05
(Gasps) "The universe has already
written the poem
written the poem
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"¡El universo ya escribió ese poema
02:08
you were planning on writing!"
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que pensabas escribir!".
02:09
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
02:10
Except, for the first time,
it didn't fill me with despair.
it didn't fill me with despair.
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Salvo que, por primera vez,
no me llenó de desesperación.
no me llenó de desesperación.
02:14
Instead, I thought, "OK.
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En cambio, pensé: "Está bien.
02:17
Maybe it's not my job
to invent something new.
to invent something new.
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Quizá no me corresponda
inventar algo nuevo.
inventar algo nuevo.
02:21
Maybe instead it's my job to listen
to what the universe is showing me
to what the universe is showing me
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Tal vez mi trabajo sea escuchar
lo que el universo me muestra
lo que el universo me muestra
02:28
and to keep myself open
to what the universe offers,
to what the universe offers,
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y mantenerme abierta
a lo que el universo ofrece,
a lo que el universo ofrece,
02:33
so that when it's my turn,
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para que cuando me toque a mí,
02:35
I can hold something to the light,
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yo pueda sostener algo a la luz,
02:38
just for a moment,
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por un instante,
02:40
just for as long as I have.
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por el tiempo que tenga.
02:43
The universe has already written the poem
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El universo ya escribió ese poema
02:48
that you were planning on writing.
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que planeaba escribir.
02:51
And this is why
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Y por eso
02:53
you can do nothing
but point at the flock of starlings
but point at the flock of starlings
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uno no puede hacer más que apuntar
a la bandada de estorninos
a la bandada de estorninos
02:59
whose bodies rise and fall
in inherited choreography,
in inherited choreography,
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cuyos cuerpos suben y bajan
en una coreografía heredada,
en una coreografía heredada,
03:05
swarming the sky in a sweeping curtain
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invadiendo el cielo como
una cortina arrolladora
una cortina arrolladora
03:09
that, for one blistering moment,
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que, en un momento glorioso,
03:12
forms the unmistakeable shape
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toma esa forma inequívoca
03:14
of a giant bird
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de pájaro gigante
03:16
flapping against the sky.
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aleteando en el cielo.
03:19
It is why your mouth forms an "o"
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Por eso sus labios toman forman de "o"
03:23
that is not a gasp,
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no es quedarse boquiabierto,
03:24
but rather, the beginning of,
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sino empezar a decir:
03:27
"Oh. Of course."
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"¡Oh! Por supuesto".
03:30
As in, of course the heart of a blue whale
is as large as a house
is as large as a house
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Como en, por supuesto, el corazón de una
ballena azul es tan grande como una casa
ballena azul es tan grande como una casa
03:36
with chambers tall enough
to fit a person standing.
to fit a person standing.
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con salas tan altas como para que
una persona pueda estar de pie adentro.
una persona pueda estar de pie adentro.
03:40
Of course a fig becomes possible
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De hecho, un higo es factible
03:44
when a lady wasp lays her eggs
inside a flower,
inside a flower,
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cuando una avispa pone sus huevos
dentro de una flor,
dentro de una flor,
03:49
dies and decomposes,
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se muere y se pudre,
03:52
the fruit, evidence of her transformation.
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y la fruta es prueba de su transformación.
03:55
Sometimes, the poem is so bright,
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A veces, el poema es tan brillante,
03:59
your silly language will not stick to it.
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que su lenguaje tonto no se adherirá a él.
04:02
Sometimes, the poem is so true,
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A veces, un poema es tan verdadero,
04:06
nobody will believe you.
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que nadie les creerá.
04:08
I am a bird
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Yo soy un pájaro
04:11
made of birds.
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hecho de pájaros.
04:13
This blue heart a house
you can stand up inside of.
you can stand up inside of.
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Este corazón azul es una casa
donde uno puede estar de pie adentro.
donde uno puede estar de pie adentro.
04:17
I am dying
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Me estoy muriendo
04:20
here
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aquí
04:21
inside this flower.
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dentro de esta flor.
04:26
It is OK.
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Está bien.
04:27
It is what I was put here to do.
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Esto es lo que tenía que hacer.
04:30
Take this fruit.
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Miren esta fruta.
04:33
It is what I have to offer.
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Esto les ofrezco.
04:36
It may not be first,
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No será la primera,
04:38
or ever best,
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ni la mejor,
04:40
but it is the only way to be sure
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pero es la única manera de estar segura
04:43
that I lived at all.
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de que he vivido.
04:46
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sarah Kay - PoetA performing poet since she was 14 years old, Sarah Kay is the founder of Project VOICE, an organization that uses spoken word poetry as a literacy and empowerment tool.
Why you should listen
Plenty of 14-year-old girls write poetry. But few hide under the bar of the famous Bowery Poetry Club in Manhattan’s East Village absorbing the talents of New York’s most exciting poets. Not only did Sarah Kay do that -- she also had the guts to take its stage and hold her own against performers at least a decade her senior. Her talent for weaving words into poignant, funny, and powerful performances paid off.
Sarah holds a Masters degree in the art of teaching from Brown University and an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Grinnell College. Her first book, B, was ranked the number one poetry book on Amazon.com. Her second book, No Matter the Wreckage, is available from Write Bloody Publishing.
Sarah also founded Project VOICE, an organization that uses spoken word poetry as a literacy and empowerment tool. Project VOICE runs performances and workshops to encourage people to engage in creative self-expression in schools and communities around the world.
Sarah Kay | Speaker | TED.com