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The Process of Silence - A poem by Elena Nida

James Cathcart April 19, 2025 1 2
The Process of Silence - A poem by Elena Nida

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This Holy Week as we contemplate the eternal life-changing, world-changing power of Christ on the Cross we are honoured to share this beautiful, haunting poem: 'The Process of Silence' by Elena Nida of our Sanctuary First Community. You will see it below, first in the English translation and then in the original Spanish. If you listen to the audio file under the image on this page you can hear Elena reading it to us, first in English and then in Spanish!

Thanks so much to Elena for the opportunity to share this beautiful piece with the community and working with us to bring an English translation to the world!

 

THE PROCESS OF SILENCE

by Elena Nida

 

Your eyes are closed

Dark labyrinths

Wounded and blind

Your heart held captive

Goes out in silence

 

And your ears tremble

On hearing the false testimonies

Of Caiaphas, the High Priest

While the Sanhedrin

Discuss your martyring 

And the crowd, thirsty for your blood

Screams and goes mad

But you remain silent

And suffer the pain with your silence

 

You hear everywhere

“Crucify Jesus the Nazarene”

But you are still silent and abject

Searching around for some helping hand

Some beloved disciple

Peter, John, James…

But they are all gone

 

And now abandoned

Only the sob of the soul

Escapes from your mouth

And in your eyes are opened

Paths of loneliness

Of shadows, of silence and emptiness

 

And the Cross awaits you

In the dark

At the end of the path

 

EL PROCESO DEL SILENCIO

 

by Elena Nida

 

Tus ojos se han cerrado

Laberintos oscuros

Heridos y ciegos

Tu corazón cautivo

Se ha apagado en silencio

 

Y tiemblan tus oídos

Al escuchar los falsos testimonios

De Caifás, el Sumo Sacerdote

Mientras el Sanedrín discute tu martirio

Y la multitud sedienta de tu muerte

Aullando se enloquece

Pero tú callas y sufres el dolor con tu silencio

 

Oyes por todas partes

“Que crucifiquen a Jesús El Nazareno”

Y sigues silencioso y abatido

Buscando alrededor alguna mano amiga

Algún discípulo querido

Pedro, Juan, Santiago…

Pero todos se han ido

 

Y ya abandonado

Solo el sollozo del alma

Se escapa de tu boca

Y en tus ojos se abren

Senderos de soledad

De sombras, de silencio y de vacío

 

Y la cruz te espera

En la penumbra

Al final del camino