Pessoa, O Dos Castelos (en Mensagem, 1914)

composição de ilustrações de Carlos Alberto Santos
(fonte de imagem: Inverso)
no copyright infringement intended

A Europa jaz, posta nos cotovellos:

De Oriente a Occidente jaz, fitando,

E toldam-lhe românticos cabellos

Olhos gregos, lembrando.

O cotovello esquerdo é recuado;

O direito é em ângulo disposto.

Aquelle diz Itália onde é pousado;

Este diz Inglaterra onde, afastado,

A mão sustenta, em que se appoia o rosto.

Fita, com olhar sphyngico e fatal,

O Occidente, futuro do passado.

O rosto com que fita é Portugal.

(Inverso)

dito de Laurent Filipe
(video por Mário Neves)

Europa yace apostada sobre sus codos:

Yace de Oriente a Occidente, mirando,

Y la abrazan románticos cabellos

Recordando ojos griegos.

Retira el codo izquierdo;

El derecho está dispuesto en ángulo.

Aquel dice Italia donde se ha asentado;

Este dice Inglaterra donde, alejada,

sostiene la mano, en la que apoya su rostro.

Observa, con mirada fatal de esfinge,

a Occidente, futuro del pasado.

El rostro que observa es de Portugal.

traducción de Juan Carlos Villavicencio
(Descontexto)

(fonte de imagem: Ethics, Economics and Societyo)
no copyright infringement intended

Europe lies, reclining upon her elbows:

From East to West she stretches, staring,

And romantic tresses fall over

Greek eyes, reminding.

The left elbow is stepped back;

The other laid out at an angle.

The first says Italy where it leans;

This one England where, set afar,

The hand holds the resting face.

Enigmatic and fateful she stares

Out West, to the future of the past.

The staring face is Portugal.

(Inverso)

The castles in the Portuguese coat-of-arms represent walled towns that were conquered from the Moors in medieval times. Thus, the field of the castles pertains to the materiality in the country. Appropriately this first poem in Mensagem starts by a brief description of the map of Europe and of the geographic position of Portugal in it. According to the mythic origin of the continent, Europe is a woman whose Greek eyes remind us of the racial and cultural origin of the Portuguese nation (which Pessoa believed to be rooted in pre-classical Greece).

But, as often happens in Pessoa's best work, a final twist makes us review the simplicity we had laid out in our minds. Europe is staring out west to the future of the past and... the staring face is Portugal! A double meaning is intended: on one side, this is a clear reference to the fact that Portugal has, in the past, sought its destiny in the sea and consequently spearheaded the European expansion overseas; but on the other side the mention of the future means that the saga is not over yet and that the future of Europe still awaits out west. According to Fernando Pessoa's belief, Portugal will, one day, again show the way and that profecy is the Message itself...

(Inverso)

(Fernando Pessoa)

(Juan Carlos Villaviciencio)