Gabriela Mistral: The Joy of Serving

Whenever I am inquired about the motivation of my work, I answer with a tipically boring story of how I grew up reading a poem printed on a huge poster on my dad's office. The story is only boring, however, until I recite the poem and everyone, regardless of age, sex, political affiliation or religious believes gets the point through the inspiring words of Gabriela Mistral in The Joy of Serving, imprinted forever in my mind and soul ever since I first read them as a 5 year old kid.

I tried to find a an official source in Spanish and a nice reliable translation on-line, but was able to found none as the poem, despite it powerful and inspirational message, is not considered by literary critics one of Gabriela's finest and is seldom included in anthologies and collections of her work. It also turns out that religious groups and inspirational speakers freely adapt it adding a line here or removing a line there, so what you find out there, either online or on posters and postcards are somewhat free adaptations of the poem.

Thank God for Google Books (or should I say, thanks Google). I was able to find a scanned copy of "Gabriela Mistral: Poesía y Prosa", a selection and commentary by Floridor Pérez.

So in order to explain myself I have picked a version that looks true to what I remember and translated it myself not as an act of casual irreverence but of admiration and desperate desire to share its message. Please, forgive my attempt and understand that any vice in the following text is my fault and all good in it is the author's gift.

The Joy of Serving

All of nature is a yearning to serve.
Serves the cloud, serves the wind, serves the furrow.
Where there is a tree to plant, plant it yourself.
Where there is an effort that everyone avoids, accept it yourself.
Be you the one who removed the stone from the road, the hatred between the hearts, the difficulty from the problem.
There is the joy of being healthy and of being fair. But above all, the beautiful, immense joy of serving.
How sad would the world be if everything in it was done, if there was not a rosebush to plant, an enterprise to undertake.
Do not be called just by easy jobs. It is so beautiful to do what others avoid! But do not fall in the error that merit is only achieved with big jobs. There are little services which are good services: to decorate the table, to organize a house, to comb a child.
That is the one who criticises. This is the one who destroys. Be You the one who serves.
To serve is not a task only for inferior beings. God, who gives the fruit and the light, serves. He could be called like this: The one who serves. And has his eyes fixed in our hands, and asks us every day:
- Will you serve today? To whom: the tree, your friend, your mother?

And has His eyes fixed on our handsand asks us every day:
Did your serve today?

- Gabriela Mistral