President Leonel Fernández decreed three days of mourning (12, 13 and 14 July) for the passing away of National Poet, Pedro Mir. Mir was 87 years old when he passed away on Monday at the Plaza de la Salud from lung emphysema. Mir will be buried at 10 am on Wednesday, 12 July at the Cementerio Cristo Redentor. Mir is best known for his poem, "Hay un país en el mundo", where he protests the exploitation and misery of the Dominican sugar cane workers. The poem was published in 1949 in Cuba. Mir lived for 16 years in exile. A fragment of the poem: Hay un país en el mundo Colocado en el mismo trayecto del sol. Oriundo de la noche, Colocado en un inverosímil archipiélago de azúcar y de alcohol. Sencillamente liviano, como un ala de murciélago apoyado en la brisa. Sencillamente claro, como el rastro del beso en las solteras antiguas o el día en los tejados. Sencillamente frutal. Fluvial. Y material. Y sin embargo sencillamente tórrido y pateado como una adolescente en las caderas. Sencillamente triste y oprimido. sinceramente agreste y despoblado. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
President Leonel Fernández decreed three days of mourning (12, 13 and 14 July) for the passing away of National Poet, Pedro Mir. Mir was 87 years old when he passed away on Monday at the Plaza de la Salud from lung emphysema. Mir will be buried at 10 am on Wednesday, 12 July at the … <\/p>\n