Extracted from the book Lengua curiosa. with its author’s agreement.
Palindromes in Spanish - Sé verlas al revés
By Carlos Liscano
They say that the first palindrome was uttered by the world’s very first man, and in English: "Madam, I’ m Adam". It’s a tall tale, of course, like that of the second palindrome, supposedly voiced by Eve. After doing the deed, and to avoid being expelled from Paradise, Eve blamed the other, but this time in Spanish: "Es Adán, Yavé, yo soy Eva y nada sé."( In English: It’s Adam, Jehova, I’m Eve and I don’t know a thing).
A palindrome is a word or phrase that reads the same backward and forward. The world’s first palindromes were lost. They are attributed to the Cretan poet Sotades of Maronea. Sotades lived in Alexandria in the 3rd century B.C. during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus. Things didn’t go too well for Sotades. In 280 B.C., Ptolemy ordered him to be locked up in a leaden chest and thrown into the Aegean Sea. Which is exactly what happened to him. It seems that Ptolemy had developed a liking for a sister (his own sister) and that he was living with her, and Sotades was mouthing off about it. Ptolemy didn’t like being criticized. So one day, he thought up a box made of lead.
Augusto Monterroso, Guillermo Cabrera Infante and Julio Cortázar all practiced the palindrome, though with varying degrees of success. They say that the greatest palindromist of all times was an Argentine by the name of Juan Filloy, a man who lived during three centuries: he was born in the city of Córdoba on August 1, 1894, and he passed away during his siesta on July 15, 2000, just a few days before his 106th birthday.
Perhaps the most renowned palindromist was Georges Perec, author of Life, A User’s Manual. Perec wrote a text consisting of nearly 5,000 letters that begins "Trace l’ inegal palindrome" and ends "...ne mord ni la plage ni l’ écart."
The longer the palindrome, the more difficult it is. Few brave souls are dedicated to them. Needless to say, and as any palindromist could claim, no solo no lo son; but in effect, se es o no se es. In addition to the fact that they are few and far between, palindromists tend to be the entomologists of literature. Whether or not they are great writers, they enjoy – or suffer from – the passion of those who search for insects, little tongue bugs, oddities. There are books, websites, and sects frequented by palindromists.
The palindrome itself, however, is not always a rare bird. Sometime it appears quite suddenly, without the user even realizing it: Yo soy; Yo voy; Somos o no somos; Yo hago yoga hoy.
Adam – or "Adán" in Spanish – with his two a-s, is the perfect candidate for palindromes: Adán no cede con nada; Adán, a donde va, ved, no da nada; Adán no cede con Eva y Yavé no cede con nada.
The palindrome dictionary in Spanish includes the well-known "Dábale arroz a la zorra el abad". If Adán is thrown in here, you get:
Adán dábale arroz a la zorra, el abad, nada.
More palindromes in Spanish:
La col apartas hoy, oh sátrapa local;
La moral, claro, mal;
Amo la pacífica paloma;
Odio la luz azul al oído;
La ruta natural;
Amad a la dama;
Yo soy ateo, poeta yo soy;
Edipo: la mamá lo pide;
Anita, la gorda lagartona, no traga la droga latina;
Somos laicos, Adán, nada social somos.
Some palindromes in English:
A car, a man, a maraca.
A dog! A panic in a pagoda!
A man, a plan, a canal - Panama!
A Santa deified at NASA.
Do good? I? No. Evil anon I deliver. Saginaw, sanitary sword a-tuck, Carol, I. Lo! Rack, cut a drowsy rat in Aswan. I gas nine more hero-men in Miami. Reviled, I (Nona) live on. I do, O God.
"Do nine men interpret?" "Nine men," I nod.
Dogma? I am God.
He maps spam, eh?
Named undenominationally rebel, I rile Beryl. La, no! I tan. I'm, O Ned, nude man.
No witness, a fool. A nasal aria's time emits air. Alas, an aloof assent: I won.
Red Nevada vendor.
Sex at noon taxes.
Stella won no wallets.
