Born on March 11

Australia

October 26, 2011

(In Portguese)
O que nós vemos das cousas são as cousas.
Por que veríamos nós uma cousa se houvesse outra?
Por que é que ver e ouvir seria iludirmo-nos
Se ver e ouvir são ver e ouvir?

O essencial é saber ver,
Saber ver sem estar a pensar,
Saber ver quando se vê,
E nem pensar quando se vê
Nem ver quando se pensa.

Mas isso (tristes de nós que trazemos a alma vestida!),
Isso exige um estudo profundo,
Uma aprendizagem de desaprender
E uma seqüestração na liberdade daquele convento
De que os poetas dizem que as estrelas são as freiras eternas
E as flores as penitentes convictas de um só dia,
Mas onde afinal as estrelas não são senão estrelas
Nem as flores senão flores.
Sendo por isso que lhes chamamos estrelas e flores.
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(In English)
What we see of things is things.
Why would we see one thing as being another?
Why is it that seeing and hearing would deceive us
If seeing and hearing are seeing and hearing?

The main thing is knowing how to see,
To know how to see without thinking,
To know how to see when you see,
And not think when you see
Or see when you think.

But this (poor us carrying a clothed soul!),
This takes deep study,
A learning to unlearn
And sequestration in freedom from that convent
Where the poets say the stars are the eternal brothers,
And flowers are penitent nuns who only live a day,
But where stars really aren?t anything but stars,
And flowers aren?t anything but flowers,
That being why I call them stars and flowers.
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(In Dutch)
Wat wij zien van de dingen zijn de dingen.
Waarom zouden wij het één zien als er iets anders was?
Waarom zouden zien en horen ons vergissen zijn
Als zien en horen zien en horen zijn?

Essentieel is kunnen zien,
Kunnen zien zonder te denken,
Kunnen zien wanneer men ziet,
En niet denken wanneer men ziet
Noch zien wanneer men denkt.

Maar dat (wee ons, met onze aangeklede zielen!),
Dat vereist diepgaande studie,
Eist een leerschool in verlering
En opsluiting in de vrijheid van dat klooster
Waarvan dichters zeggen dat de sterren de eeuwige nonnen zijn
En de bloemen de overtuigde boetelingen van één dag,
Maar waar uiteindelijk de sterren niets dan sterren zijn
en de bloemen niets dan bloemen,
Reden waarom wij ze sterren en bloemen noemen.

Fernando Pessoa - Alberto Caeiro

Translation:
August Willems