Hi, Julie—
Rueda certainly has a passionate fascination with fruit! Very lovely treatment of this sonnet. You keep the rhyme scheme intact and render his images faithfully and creatively.
In S2L4, I am assuming that the “tree” refers to the treelike appearance of branching coral. I envision the grapes as jewels arranged on a coral frame resembling a brooch rather than a necklace, but “collar” was Rueda’s decision, not yours.
I grew up in California’s wine country, but I wasn’t sure what to make of the crackling sounds Rueda describes. The first, which would be like the smack of a kiss, makes sense if the ripe grape cluster was snapped or cut from the vine. The last stanza seems to describe another stage in the harvesting process. I had thought this crackling sound was from the crushing of the grapes still attached to the stalk and that the “rocío” was of grape juice rather than literally dew.
Delightful job!
Glenn
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