Translations of Poems by Eugénio de Andrade

Translations of Poems by Eugenio de Andrade Alexis Levitin SUNY, Plattsburgh A great thirst for simplicity drives Eugenio de Andrade to search for truth through naked word and naked image. Ideas and abstractions rarely obscure "the rough or sweet skin of things." His poetry admirably obeys William Carlos Williams' dictum: No ideas but in things. In discussing his predilection for matter, the poet has said: "I love words that know the earth, water, the fire of summer, boats in the wind; I love words smooth as pebbles, rough as rye bread. Words that smell of clover and dust, loam and lemon, resin and sun." Eugenio de Andrade's works have been translated into more than twenty foreign languages, including Spanish, French, Italian, Greek, Serbo-Croatian, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, and English. A dozen volumes of his work have appeared in France and another dozen in Spain, where he has been translated not only into Spanish, but also into Bable (an Asturian dialect), Catalan, and Galego. In the United States, my translations of his work have appeared in more than 100 literary magazines and in a handful of anthologies. They have also resulted in seven books published to date: Inhabited Heart (Perivale Press, 1985); White on White (QRL, 1987); Memory of Another River (New Rivers Press, 1988); Slopes of a Gaze (Apalachee Press, 1992), which won the first Fernando Pessoa Translation Prize from Columbia University's Translation Center; Solar Matter (QED Press, 1995); The Shadow's Weight (GaveaBrown , 1996); and Another Name for Earth (QED, 1997). Eugenio de Andrade has been the recipient of numerous literary awards, including the "Premio da Critica" from the International Association of Literary Critics in 1986, the "Premio D. Dinis" in 1988, the "Grande Premio de Poesia" of the Portuguese Writers' Association in 1989, and the French "Priz Jean Malrieu" in 1989. Marguerite Yourcenar refers to the "well-tempered clavier" of his poems; the Mexican poet Angel Flores calls his "a classic language, that is to say, an enduring language that becomes richer at every reading"; and the Spanish poet and critic Angel Crespo writes that "his voice was born to baptize the world." It is probably safe to say that, with the exception of the great Fernando Pessoa, Eugenio de Andrade has been translated and studied more than any other Portuguese poet of this century. 39 40Rocky Mountain Review Cantar O corpo arde na sombra, procura a nascente. Agora sei onde começa a ternura: reconheço o arbusto do fogo. Conheci o deserto da cal. A raiz do linho foi meu alimento, loi o meu tormento. Mas entäo cantava. Como a noite sobe as fontes, assim regresso à agua. Eugenio de Andrade's poetry is reprinted with permission of the poet. Alexis Levitin41 To Sing The body burns in shadows, searching for the source. Now I know where tenderness begins: I recognize the shrub of fire. I knew the whitewashed desert, The root of flax my nourishment, my pain. But then I would sing. As night climbs to the fountainhead, so I return to water. 42Rocky Mountain Review Plenamente A boca, onde o fogo de um verâo muito antigo cintila, a boca espera (que pode urna boca esperar senáo outra boca?) espera o ardor de vento para ser ave, e cantar. Alexis Levitin43 Completely The mouth where the flame of an ancient summer glitters, the mouth is waiting (what could a mouth await if not another mouth?) waiting for the ardor of the wind so it can be a bird, and sing. 44Rocky Mountain Review No Cimo da Pedra Toco o cimo da pedra, ardo— arde comigo a memoria de pássaros despertos, a gloria dos cardos altos, desertos, no branco fogo da cal. Alexis Levitin45 The Top of the Stone I touch the top ofthe stone and burn— burning with me, the memory of birds awakened, the glory oftall thistles alone in a whitewashed world of flame. 46Rocky Mountain Review A Palmeira Jovem Como a palmeira jovem que Ulisses viu em Delos, assim esbelto era o dia em que te encontrei; assim esbelta era a noite em que te despi, e como um potro na planicie nua em ti entrei. Alexis Levitin47...