José Rafael de Pombo y Rebolledo (November 7, 1833 – May 5, 1912) was a Colombian poet born in

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the largest ...

. Trained as a mathematician and an engineer in a military school, Rafael Pombo served in the army and he traveled to the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

as Secretary of the Legation in Washington. After completing his diplomatic assignment, he was hired by D. Appleton & Company in New York to translate into Spanish

nursery rhymes A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and many other countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes. From t ...

from the

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

oral tradition. The product of this work, more than a translation, was a transformative adaptation published in two books under the titles ''Cuentos pintados para niños'' and ''Cuentos morales para niños formales''. In spite of his extensive and diverse literary works, Rafael Pombo is mostly remembered for this contribution to children's literature. Among his most popular children's fables are ''Michín'', ''Juan Chunguero'', ''Pastorcita'', ''

La Pobre Viejecita The Poor Old Lady by Lorenzo Jaramillo on the 1901 edition of the book Moral Tales for Formal Children by Rafael Pombo. The Poor Old Lady by Lorenzo Jaramillo, 1901. The Poor Old Lady is a fairy tale, best known in Latin America. It was first publ ...

'', ''

Simón el Bobito Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

'', '' El Gato Bandido'', and ''

El Renacuajo paseador Rin Rin the tadpole (Spanish: ''Rin Rin Renacuajo''), also known as the tripping tadpole (''El renacuajo paseador'') (1884) is a stock character created by Colombian poet Rafael Pombo. It is still reprinted in compilations of children stories ...

''. After seventeen years in the United States of America, Rafael Pombo returned to Colombia, where he worked as a celebrated translator and journalist (founding several newspapers). On August 20, 1905 he was crowned as Colombia's best poet - his ''Poesías Completas'' was published in 1957, from which the poe
El Niágara''
was taken. Rafael Pombo remained in Colombia until his death on May 5, 1912.

References

WikiSource
has the original works of Rafael Pombo

* ttp://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/ninos/relatoi/rela3.htm Shorter entry in the Online Library of Colombia's Central Bank (Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango)
Short Biography in the official website of the Presidency of Colombia

Entry in the Online Library of the Andes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pombo, Rafael Del Rosario University alumni Colombian diplomats 19th-century Colombian poets 20th-century Colombian poets Colombian male poets 1833 births 1912 deaths Burials at Central Cemetery of Bogotá 20th-century male writers