Poet of Destiny (Poeta del destino)

Music piece by:
Sergio Vesely
Testimony by:
Sergio Vesely
Experience in:

This song is a tribute to Miguel Enríquez, Secretary-General of the MIR(Revolutionary Left Movement) Left-wing political organisation founded in 1965 at the Univ. of Concepción., who was gunned down by a commando of the dictatorship’s secret police on 5 October 1974.

My own five-year militancy in that organisation resulted in my enormous respect for this individual.

The original text was created in the Capuchinos Prison (my last stop in Chile before leaving for exile in Germany), and underwent substantial changes in the early 1980s (which in my view enriched the composition) when I had the chance to read the moving speech given by Edgardo Enríquez, father of the political leader, at the opening ceremony of the Miguel Enríquez Clinical Hospital in Havana, Cuba.


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Published on: 22 June 2015


Comrade Miguel,
you lived thirty years of your life
through earth’s history
which 'made that boy a fighter'
as your father said in Havana
in a noble speech
bestowing your name upon a hospital.

Comrade Miguel
from medical student to precocious leader
poet of destiny, craftsman of tree and flower.
Your courage marked the passing of your time
the pulse of the moment. To advance.

And there will be people protecting your memory
Your generous death is present
the agile reasoning of your lips
drawing a pentagram to the future.

And there will be people defending your legacy
the key to a future of liberty
the end of a century-long workday
inescapable principle of peace.

Comrade Miguel
a militant in Concepcion in Chile
you roamed the land
your challenge against barbarity.
The humble man joined your quest
and in a time of war
he raised his hunger for freedom.

Comrade Miguel
resist with your death the fierce shrapnel
like your father in Cuba
Give your name to the fruit of love
rebel against your hasty silence
your curtailed syllable. To advance.

And there will be people protecting your memory
Your generous death is present
the agile reasoning of your lips
drawing a pentagram to the future.

And there will be a people defending your legacy
the key to a future of liberty
the end of a century-long workday
inescapable principle of peace.

Comrade Miguel...