(Photo from the movie Spirited Away) This translation is an excerpt from one of Manuel Bandeira's poems. Life is a miracle. Each flower, With its shape, its color, its scent, Each flower is a miracle. Each bird, With its plumage, in its flight, chirping, Each bird is a miracle. Space, so boundless, Space is a miracle. Time, unfathomable, Time is a miracle. Memory is a miracle. Self-awareness is a miracle. Everything is a miracle. Everything but death.
Clarice Lispector (1920-1977) is an extraordinary Brazilian writer of Jewish descent. The stream of consciousness in her writings is superb and searches the depths of the soul. From her crônicas , a typically Brazilian journalistic text on any aspect of life in general: "Saudade" is a little like hunger; only when one eats the presence is one satisfied. But sometimes this longing is so intense that even their presence is not enough - one needs to absorb the other completely. This urge to be someone else in order to be one with them is one of the most demanding feelings in life. ... And I learned that Dr. Lourival, on reading my dedication, said, "Clarice gives so much to others, and yet she asks for permission to exist." Yes, Dr. Lourival, I humbly ask to exist and humbly beg for some joy, for something to be thankful for; I pray that I may be allowed to live a life with less suffering; I ask for fewer trials, fewer rough times; I ask men and women to ...
This is my translation of a simple and yet touching poem by Junqueira Freire (1832-1855), of Brazil's Romanticism. AN ORPHAN SEWING She taught her to raise her pure, innocent hands to heaven and seek first a glimpse of her Maker. Flechier My mother was beautiful, She was all my joy, All that I loved. Her hair was so fair, Like a golden ribbon In such splendor. Her radiant locks Fell so long Her feet to kiss. On hearing my complaints, In those golden locks She enveloped me. When I was cold And my soul trembled, And the sun was hidden, Her long hair, Like warm threads, Covered me as a sheet. My mother was beautiful, She was all my joy, All that I loved. Her eyes were soft, Like the chirping of birds Above the shepherd's hut. My mother was so beautiful, I remember her so vividly, Everything about her! Close to my chest I keep Her holy words to me, The laughter she filled me with. My faltering st...
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