THE KEEPER OF FLOCKS – III

At dusk, leaning out of the window,
I know at a glance that there are fields ahead.
I begin to read until my eyes burn
A book by Cesário Verde.

What shame I inherited from him! He was a peasant
Who was stuck, though free, by the city.
But the way he was looking at their homes,
And the way he would notice the streets,
And the manner which he gave to things,
And it is as if he was looking at trees,
And he sends your eyes down the road while you walk
So you notice things in the flowers away in the field…

This is why he had that great sadness
That he never spoke well of what was there,
Since he walked in the city as if he was in a field
And it is so sad to crush flowers in books
And put plants in jars…

David Scanlon – England – (1963 – )

Pessoa, F. (2018) The Keeper of Flocks. In Portuguese and translated to English by David Scanlon. The Foolish Poet Press, Wilmslow, England. THE KEEPER OF FLOCKS – III. Page Number 9.

Ao entardecer, debruçado pela janela,
E sabendo de soslaio que há campos em frente.
Leio até me arderem os olhos
O livro de Cesário Verde.

Que pena que tenho dele! Ele era um camponês
Que andava preso em liberdade pela cidade.
Mas o modo como olhava para as casas,
E o modo como reparava nas ruas,
E a maneira como dava pelas coisas,
É o de quem olha para árvores,
E de quem desce os olhos pela estrada por onde vai andando
E anda a reparar nas flores que há pelos campos…

Por isso ele tinha aquela grande tristeza
Que ele nunca disse bem que tinha,
Mas andava na cidade como quem anda no campo
E triste como esmagar flores em livros
E pôr plantas em jarros…

Fernando Pessoa

Fernando Pessoa – Portugal – (1988 - 1935)

Caeiro, A. (1914)[1946] “O Guardador de Rebanhos”. In Poemas de Alberto Caeiro (Nota explicativa e notas de João Gaspar Simões e Luiz de Montalvor.) Ática: Lisboa. (10ª ed). Alberto Caeiro is an heteronym of Fernando Pessoa.

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