Inmóvil como un ídolo sagrado,
ceñido en mallas de compacto acero,
está ante el agua estático y sombrío,

a manera de un príncipe encantado
que vive eternamente prisionero
en el palacio de cristal de un río.


•

Translation:
Unmoving as a venerated idol
Encased in dense links of steel
Outlined against the water, sombre and transfixed

Like some enchanted prince
Held prisoner forever
In the river’s crystal palace.

" - Meaning and context.">
El sueño del caimán (Dream of a Caiman), translated by Jean Morris (1906)
“

Inmóvil como un ídolo sagrado,
ceñido en mallas de compacto acero,
está ante el agua estático y sombrío,

a manera de un príncipe encantado
que vive eternamente prisionero
en el palacio de cristal de un río.


•

Translation:
Unmoving as a venerated idol
Encased in dense links of steel
Outlined against the water, sombre and transfixed

Like some enchanted prince
Held prisoner forever
In the river’s crystal palace.

— José Santos Chocano

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "

Inmóvil como un ídolo sagrado,
ceñido en mallas de compacto acero,
está ante el agua estático y sombrío,

a manera de un príncipe encantado
que vive eternamente prisionero
en el palacio de cristal de un río.


•

Translation:
Unmoving as a venerated idol
Encased in dense links of steel
Outlined against the water, sombre and transfixed

Like some enchanted prince
Held prisoner forever
In the river’s crystal palace.

" in the context of "El sueño del caimán (Dream of a Caiman), translated by Jean Morris (1906)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "José Santos Chocano" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
José Santos Chocano

About José Santos Chocano

José Santos Chocano Gastañodi (14 May 1875 – 13 December 1934) was a Peruvian poet and political activist, whose work was widely praised across Europe and Latin America.