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Pedro Hércules's avatar

For my fellow Portuguese speakers, the original goes like this (next comment):

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Pedro Hércules's avatar

Mestre, são plácidas

Mestre, são plácidas

Todas as horas

Que nós perdemos.

Se no perdê-las,

Qual numa jarra,

Nós pomos flores.

Não há tristezas

Nem alegrias

Na nossa vida.

Assim saibamos,

Sábios incautos,

Não a viver,

Mas decorrê-la,

Tranquilos, plácidos,

Tendo as crianças

Por nossas mestras,

E os olhos cheios

De Natureza...

A beira-rio,

A beira-estrada,

Conforme calha,

Sempre no mesmo

Leve descanso

De estar vivendo.

O tempo passa,

Não nos diz nada.

Envelhecemos.

Saibamos, quase

Maliciosos,

Sentir-nos ir.

Não vale a pena

Fazer um gesto.

Não se resiste

Ao deus atroz

Que os próprios filhos

Devora sempre.

Colhamos flores.

Molhemos leves

As nossas mãos

Nos rios calmos,

Para aprendermos

Calma também.

Girassóis sempre

Fitando o Sol,

Da vida iremos

Tranquilos, tendo

Nem o remorso

De ter vivido.

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Wanderley Neves's avatar

Thank you! I was reading it and trying to guess the Portuguese words.

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Patris's avatar

The luxury of time unmanaged. Truly beautiful

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Dian Parker's avatar

“…not have even the remorse of having lived.” Took my breath away.

Thank you for this poem and it’s wisdom.

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Charles B Taylor Jr.'s avatar

A poem in defense of a passive life. A bit like Whitman's loafing. This attitude hopefully is s part of everyone's life.

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Deborah Brasket's avatar

Interesting, the way he's crafted his poem, the odd, disjointed phrasing slows it down, breaks it up, makes it sound funerary, dirge like, despite the sunny flowers, the pastoral message, as if he's deconstructing that sentiment. The final two lines sums up that deconstructed message: no remorse for having lived, as if there is cause to forgive the gods for having sentenced us to such short time spans.

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Sílvia's avatar

Odd as it may seem, being Portuguese, I love reading Pessoa in English. ❤ 😊

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Lisa B. Martin    zihuawriter's avatar

Agreed. Doing nothing is something important. Every moment can be an act of witness or serenity. I pull over and stare (take photos for poems!) at fields here in Wisconsin. Eat lunch lakeside. Float. Drift. Nature is our tranquilizer and equalizer, Reawakening us in soul time. @zihuawriter on Instagram

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Conny Borgelioen's avatar

Beautiful poem! It's almost Daoist, excepting the part about the cruel god.

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Wanderley Neves's avatar

It would be nice to have some basic info about the poem, like original title or language, translator, date of publishing etc.

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Lisa B. Martin    zihuawriter's avatar

Read back in recent comments! Portuguese, including beautiful original language post...this was a translation ...

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Wanderley Neves's avatar

I know it about this one, as I'm a native Portuguese speaker and Pessoa is my favorite poet. But, for example, this poem is in fact signed by Ricardo Reis, one of Pessoa's heteronyms; in his oeuvre that's a big deal. And I'd like to know the translator because they made a good work that deserves credit.

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David Deubelbeiss's avatar

Reminds me much of Czeslaw. Much good for my soul. TY

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Joe's avatar

This is nice

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Feasts and Fables's avatar

Beautiful, thank you

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