IF, AFTER I DIE, THEY WANT TO WRITE MY BIOGRAPHY

If, after I die, they want to write my biography,
There is nothing more simple.
There are only two dates – the one of my birth and that of my death.
Between the two every day things are mine.

I’m pretty easy to define.
I saw myself as a fool.
I loved things without any sentimentality.
I never had a desire that I couldn’t realise, because I never blinded myself.
Even hearing was never to me but an a accompaniment to sight.
I realised that things are real and all are different from each other;
I realised this with my eyes never by thought.
Understanding this by thought finds them all alike.

One day she made me sleep like a child.
I closed my eyes and I was sleeping.
Beyond that, I was the one poet of Nature.

David Scanlon – England – (1963 – )

Pessoa, F. (2018) Poems of Alberto Caeiro. In Portuguese and translated to English by David Scanlon. The Foolish Poet Press, Wilmslow, Portugal. IF, AFTER I DIE, THEY WANT TO WRITE MY BIOGRAPHY. Page Number 73.

Se, depois de eu morrer, quiserem escrever a minha biografia,
Não há nada mais simples.
Tem só duas datas—a da minha nascença e a da minha morte.
Entre uma e outra coisa todos os dias são meus.

Sou fácil de definir.
Vi como um danado.
Amei as coisas sem sentimentalidade nenhuma.
Nunca tive um desejo que não pudesse realizar, porque nunca ceguei.
Mesmo ouvir nunca foi para mim senão um acompanhamento de ver.
Compreendi que as coisas são reais e todas diferentes umas das outras;
Compreendi isto com os olhos, nunca com o pensamento.
Compreender isto com o pensamento seria achá-las todas iguais.

Um dia deu-me o sono como a qualquer criança.
Fechei os olhos e dormi.
Além disso, fui o único poeta da Natureza.

Fernando Pessoa

Fernando Pessoa – Portugal – (1888 - 1935)

Caero, A.  (1925) ”Poemas Inconsultos.”  Athena, No 5, Feb: Lisbon.

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