Song of the Simple Truth: The Complete Poems of Julia de Burgos

by Julia de Burgos, Jack Agüeros (Translator)

Song of the Simple Truth ( Canci ó n de la verdad sencilla) is the first bilingual edition of Julia de Burgos' complete poems. Numbering more than 200, these poems form a literary landmark—the first time her poems have appeared in a complete edition in either English or Spanish. Many of the verses presented here had been lost and are presented here for the first time in print. De Burgos broke new ground in her poetry by fusing a romantic temperament with keen political insights. This book will be essential reading for lovers of poetry and for feminists.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Fiction, Latinx, Spanish Literature, Literature, Womens

524 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Julia de Burgos (February 17, 1914 – July 6, 1953) is considered by many as the greatest poet to have been born in Puerto Rico, and along with Gabriela Mistral, is considered as one of the greatest poets of Latin America. She was also an advocate for the independence of Puerto Rico and an ardent civil rights activist for women and African/Afro-Caribbean writers.

Reviews

[Edita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me, inside myself,
always waiting for something
that my mind can’t define.
*
The sea goes out to the wind in savage perfume.
*
I did not know how to guard myself against invincible currents.
I was Life, beloved!
*
Something like a fleeing of birds distances us from time
and your emotion and mine run in flocks
pursuing themselves…
*
Life goes barefoot
over the sea’s cloud…
*
Don’t remember me! Feel me!
A nightingale has us in his throat.
*
And we shall go on being deeper
than the silence
and more alone than unconquered solitude.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its a collection of poems, so I've been reading them one at a time. My favorite is "To Julia de Burgos" in which the author splits herself into the intimate who writes and the social person who bears her name (don't we all have a little of that). I give you an excerpt:

You are the cold doll of social lies,
and me, the virile starburst of the human truth.

You, honey of courtesan hypocrisies; not me;
in all my poems I undress my heart.

You are like your world, selfish; not me
who gambles everything betting on what I am.

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 5 out of 5]

De Burgos' poetry, much thought lost, many collected here for the first time, falls into one those impossible niches that finds the reader struggling for comparison. She's passionate--many of these poems are stricken and sickly paeans to whatever love might mean--and at the same time wrings out of herself a well-grounded sense of doom (little is known of her life, but it didn't end well, that's for sure) that is light and playful and horrifying that you can't help but delight in skipping along to the grave with her. Sure, she's cited as a Puerto Rican nationalist (the only bad poems here are those paeans to her homeland) with all sorts of untricky political affiliations, unlucky at love, and died in the streets of New York, unsung--I don't find these trappings to matter so much at her clever and sly winks at death and love.

[Analiza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhh Julia!!! I wish that all my friends in the states could speak Spanish so I can share this poetry with them.

Julia siempre, siempre Julia...

[Dinah Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Not in me, in me only my heart governs, only my thought; who governs in me is me. You, flower of aristocracy; and me, flower of the people.”

I have slowly been savoring Julia De Burgos over summer and it’s been a delight.

I originally started this collection of poems for #therorygilmorereadingchallenge (July’s prompt = poetry) but it seeped over into #thesealeychallenge in August and now I’ve finished in #hispanicheritagemonth !

These poems are translated beautifully and many are about love, activism, and the sea.

Julia de Burgos was an amazing Puerto Rican poet and was an advocate of independence. .
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[Pavlogreen]

Julia de Burgos mantiene la excelencia técnica de su anterior poemario en esta Canción de la verdad sencilla, aunque temáticamente me ha impresionado menos. Se debe, supongo a que todos los poemas que componen esta obra tienen la misma temática amorosa y aunque como tal el libro sobresale en este subgénero la repetición constante hace que sea menos dinámico y rico en detalles que Poema en veinte surcos. Eso no quita, repito, que la poesía amorosa que aquí reúne de Burgos sea muy bella y depurada, pues se aparta de cualquier tentación de cliché, cursilería y toxicidad. Más bien al contrario, ofrece un universo amoroso lírico, lleno de erotismo y sensualidad, pero ajeno a una retórica posesiva o desesperada, al menos en general. Si alguien tiene un interés especial en la poesía amorosa lo recomiendo sin duda.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

The spirit of Borikén lives in Julia's poetry! This collection has bloomed in my heart ♥ I can't wait to share her verse with everyone I know

[Jana]

i didn't actually read this whole book, (it's huge!!) but i skimmed through and read poems here and there. she's not my favorite style but i really respect her work and her history, which was politically feminist in puerto rico in her time.

[Lilliam Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally read poetry but Julia de Burgos words are quite powerful. I love that the Spanish and English translation are right next to each other. The intro is also great, offering up what is little known of this great Puerto Rican poet.

[Yahira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es todo lo que esperaba de un libro de poemas de Julia de Burgos. Lo tendré que revisitar, lo cual es perfecto por que tengo mi propia copia. También me dan ánimos de comprar otras colecciones de Julia de Burgos.

[Areliez · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY #ONE FAVORITE POET!!! She is the best!

[Jason Leary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A feminist before the term existed. Thoughtful translation of an unknown, but important, writer.

[Ivana]

De Burgos (1914-1953) was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and feminist icon, as well as a fierce advocate for Puerto Rican independence. Growing up on the Island, I studied her and her poems, but I wasn’t as aware of her socialist, pro-Puerto Rican independence ideals. There are lots of abajo-los-Yanquis and sharpening of machetes in her poems (“afila tu azada/ afeita el machete/y templa tu alma” - “sharpen your hoe/whet your machete/and temper your soul”). And tbh, those were some of the ones that fired me up the most cuz imperialism is still wreaking havoc everywhere. De Burgos wrote many poems honoring Puerto Rican and other Latin American freedom fighters and you best believe I took notes.  
 
SOME FAVORITE LINES 
❤️‍🔥 All of “A Julia de Burgos” - it’s my mom’s fave poem (and mine)! No way I can choose just one line.  
 
❤️‍🔥On Cuban national hero and poet José Martí: “recio Dios antillano, pulso eterno, Martí” (“vigorous Antillean God, eternal steady hand Martí”). 
 
❤️‍🔥On Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo: “que las flores no quieran germinar de tus huesos, /ni la tierra te albergue.” (“May flowers refuse to germinate your bones,/and the earth refuse you shelter.”) This poem, “Hymn of Blood to Trujillo,” had me reaching for my still-unfinished copy of “The Feast of the Goat.” 😬
 
❤️‍🔥On Puerto Rican freedom fighter Pedro Albizu Campos: “tu nombre/canción en la boca de un río,/ relámpago antillano cabalgando la tierra,/amapola de América dibujada en mil pétalos,/universo rendido al alma borinqueña.” (Your name, song in the mouth of a river, Antillean lighting hoofbeating the earth,/ American poppy sketched in a thousand petals,/universe surrendered to the Borinquen [PR’s true name] soul.”) 

[David Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Viaje Alado (Winged Journey) - Por: Julia de Burgos
-----------------------------------------

Hoy me acerco a tu alma
con las manos amarillas de pájaros.
La mirada corriendo por el cielo,
y una leve llovizna entre mis labios.

Saltando claridades
he recogido el sol en los tejados,
y una nube ligera que pasaba
me prestó sus sandalias de aire blando.

La tierra se ha colgado a mis sandalias
y es un tren de emoción hasta tus brazos,
donde las rosas sin querer se fueron
unidas a la ruta de mi canto.

La tragedia del mundo
de mi senda de amor se ha separado,
y hay un aire muy suave en cada estrella
removiéndome el polvo de los años.

Hasta mi cara en vuelo
las cortinas del mar se me treparon,
y mis ojos se unieron a los ojos
de todas las pupilas del espacio.

Anudando emociones
sorprendí una sonrisa entre mis manos
caída desde el pájaro más vivo
que se asomó a mirar mi viaje alado.

Por encima del ruido de los hombres
una larga ilusión se fue rodando,
y dio a inclinar la sombra de mi mente
en el rayo de luz de tu regazo.

Como corola al viento,
todo el cosmos abrióseme a mi paso,
y se quedó en el pétalo más rosa
de esta flor de ilusión que hasta ti alargo…


**fue leído en Mayaguez, Puerto Rico y New Orleans, Louisiana (Oct-Dec 2025)

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Song of the Simple Truth by Julia de Burgos is a collection of poetry that explores identity, freedom, love, and social justice through deeply personal and politically conscious verse. Across, the poems she affirms the dignity of the self while confronting colonialism, gender constraints, and inequality. The collection blends lyrical intimacy with bold resistance, presenting poetry as both self-expression and liberation.

While I admired the elegance and intensity of the poems, I often felt that some of their full emotional weight was just out of reach, and I think that I would have connected more deeply with them if I had been able to read them in the original Spanish. I also think a stronger familiarity with the historical and social realities of Puerto Rican life during de Burgos’s time would have enriched my understanding, making this a powerful collection that I respected and appreciated, even if I didn’t fully connect with every poem.

[Paul Mena · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Song of the Simple Truth" compiles all of the known poetic output of Julia de Burgos, a cultural icon of Puerto Rican literature. While her best known poems (e.g. "Rio Grande de Loiza") are prominently represented, the crowning achievement of this collection are others that appear in writing for the first time. This bi-lingual edition features the translation of Jack Agüeros, who also provides an extensive introduction which serves as a brief biography of a woman whose poetry was shamefully neglected during her short lifetime.

[Lauren McDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always feel like I rush through collected works of poetry, but this one sometimes was able to slow me down and make me pause to think and analyze which was beautiful, I also adored how so many of the poems involved nature and specifically the sea, as that felt very grounding and easy to connect to.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

De Burgos is a fantastic poet. Her eloquence, power, and wit shine through these slightly wooden translations.

[Designlover · Rating 5 out of 5]

She says it all . . . . .

[Elidey · Rating 4 out of 5]

acaso irán mis labios a nutrir azucenas...

[Jomanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of poems from an unsung poet.

[David Auerbach · Rating 1 out of 5]

With all due respect for the good works of Jack Agüeros, this translation is extremely flawed. A close examination reveals perhaps a misunderstanding of themes and intent, awkward and literal renderings, misspellings, usage and grammar issues, to name a few of the thorny bits. A good example can be found in "I Was the Quietest One," which is a terrible botch job. Justice needs to be done for this great poet, yet you won't find much justice here.

[Tara Betts]

"To Julia de Burgos" is one of my favorite poems. Jack Agueros is also a good poet in his own right. He is working on a volume in translation of similar scope on Cuban poet Jose Marti's work with his daughter Natalia Agueros.

[Penelope, pronounced comme tu veux · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I wanted to be like men wanted me to be:
an attempt at life:
a game of hide and seek with my being.
But I was made of nows." 1st stanza of I was my own route. Need I say more? Read it, read it, read it.

[l · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm so bored by (heterosexual) love poetry, and poetry about the sea, and (heterosexual) love poetry involving the sea.

I did quite like some of the poems not about love - i.e. Nothing, To Julia de Burgos, I Was My Own Route, I Was the Quietest One, Poem for my Death, Shipwreck of a Dream.

[sheilabeta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esta es la más amplia colección de Julia de Burgos que hay hasta hoy. Es el libro más hermoso que he leído en la vida. Me inspira todos los días. Julia es una genio. Es mi diosa favorita. Ojalá la reconozcan en la UNESCO, como hicieron con el filósofo, genio, Eugenio María de Hostos.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful, exiled Puerto Rican poet.

[Shanali]

Author of my favorite and most patriotic poem of all times. Need to read ASAP all of her works.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I especially love the poem called I Was My Own Route. This as a wonderful, feminist tear-jerker poem for me. This book also provides the poems in the original Spanish.

[Eileenplaceres · Rating 5 out of 5]

Collection of beautiful poems.