Selected Poetry, 1937–1990

O sim contra o sim / Yes Against Yes

O sim contra o sim Marianne Moore, em vez de lapis, emprega quando escreve instrumento cortante: bisturi, simples canivete. Ela aprendeu que o lado claro das coisas e o anverso e por isso as disseca: para ler textos mais corretos. Com mao direta ela as penetra, com lapis bisturi, e com eles compoe, de volta, o verso cicatriz. E porque e limpa a cicatriz, economica, reta, mais que o cirurgiao se admira a lamina que opera. Francis Ponge, outro cirurgiao, adota uma outra tecnica: gira-as nos dedos, gira ao redor das coisas que opera. Apalpa-as com todos os dez mil dedos da linguagem: nao tern bisturi reto mas um que se ramificasse. Com ele envolve tamo a coisa que quase a enovela 122 o sim contra 0 sim Marianne Moore, em vez de lapis, emprega quando escreve instrumento cortante: bisturi, simples canivete. Ela aprendeu que 0 lado claro das coisas e 0 anverso e por isso as disseca: para ler textos mais carretos. Com mao direta ela as penetra, com lapis bisturi, e com eles comp6e, de volta, 0 verso cicatriz. E parque e limpa a cicatriz, economica, reta, mais que 0 cirurgiao se admira a lamina que opera. Francis Ponge, outro cirurgiao, adota uma outra tecnica: gira-as nos dedos, gira ao redor das coisas que opera. Apalpa-as com todos os dez mil dedos da linguagem: nao tern bisturi reto mas urn que se ramificasse. Com He envolve tanto a coisa que quase a enovela 122 Yes Against Yes Marianne Moore, refusing a pen, writes her stanzas with a cutting edge, a common jackknife or scalpel. She discovered that the clear side of things is the obverse, and therefore dissects them to read more honest texts. She enters with her right hand and scalpel pen to compose, on leaving, a neatly stitched poem. And since the scar is clean, sparse and straight, more than the surgeon one admires the surgical blade. Francis Ponge, also a surgeon, uses a different technique, turning in his fingers the things he operates and turning himself around them. He handles them with all ten thousand fingers oflanguage; his is not a straight scalpel but one with many branches. With it he so wraps up the thing, he almost winds it 123 Yes Against Yes Marianne Moore, refusing a pen, writes her stanzas with a cutting edge, a common jackknife or scalpel. She discovered that the clear side of things is the obverse, and therefore dissects them to read more honest texts. She enters with her right hand and scalpel pen to compose, on leaving, a neatly stitched poem. And since the scar is clean, sparse and straight, more than the surgeon one admires the surgical blade. Francis Ponge, also a surgeon, uses a different technique, turning in his fingers the things he operates and turning himself around them. He handles them with all ten thousand fingers of language; his is not a straight scalpel but one with many branches. With it he so wraps up the thing, he almost winds it 123 e quase, a enovelando, se perde, enovelado nela. E no instante em que ate parece queja nao a penetra, ele entra sem cortar: saltou por descuidada fresta. Miro sentia a mao direita demasiado sabia e que de saber tanto ja nao podia inventar nada. Quis entao que desaprendesse o muito que aprendera, a fim de reencontrar a linha ainda fresca da esquerda. Pois que ela nao pode, ele pos-se a desenhar com esta ate que, se operando, no brac.o direito ele a enxerta. A esquerda (se nao se e canhoto) e mao sem habilidade: reaprende a cada linha, cada instante, a recomegar-se. Mondrian, tambem, da mao direita andava desgostado; nao por ser ela sabia: porque, sendo sabia, era facil. 124 e quase, a enovelando, se perde, enovelado nela. E no instante em que ate parece que ja nao a penetra, ele entra sem cortar: saltou por descuidada fresta. Mira sentia a mao direita demasiado sabia e que de saber tanto ja nao podia inventar nada. Quis entao que desaprendesse o muito que aprendera, a £lm de reencontrar a linha ainda fresca da esquerda. Pois que ela nao p6de, ele p6s-se a desenhar com esta ate que, se operando, no bra<;o direito ele a enxerta. A esquerda (se nao se ecanhoto) e mao sem habilidade: reaprende a cada linha, cada instante, a recome<;ar-se. Mondrian, tambem, da mao direita andava desgostado; nao por ser ela sabia: porque, sendo sabia, era fkil. 124 into a ball and loses himself, wound up inside it. And just when it would seem he can no longer penetrate, he enters without cutting, through a crack that went unseen. Miro felt that his right hand was too intelligent and that knowing so much it could no longer invent. He wanted it to unlearn all it had learned so as to recover his left hand's still fresh curve. Since this was impossible, he began to draw with the left hand, attaching it at last to his right arm by a graft. The left hand (unless one is lefthanded ) lacks ability; every line is a relearning, every instance a new beginning. Mondrian regarded his right hand with just as much distrust, not for being intelligent, but because it was easy as such. 125 into a ball and loses himself, wound up inside it. Andjust when it would seem he can no longer penetrate, he enters without cutting, through a crack that went unseen. Mira felt that his right hand was too intelligent and that knowing so much it could no longer invent. He wanted it to unlearn all it had learned so as to recover his left hand's still fresh curve. Since this was impossible, he began to draw with the left hand, attaching it at last to his right arm by a graft. The left hand (unless one is lefthanded ) lacks ability; every line is a relearning, every instance a new beginning. Mondrian regarded his right hand with just as much distrust, not for being intelligent, but because it was easy as such. 125 Assim, nao a trocou de braqo: queria-a mais honesta e por isso enxertou outras mais sabias dentro dela. Fez-se enxertar reguas, esquadros e outros utensflios para obrigar a mao a abandonar todo improvise. Assim foi que ele, a mao direita, impos tal disciplina: fazer o que sabia como se o aprendesse ainda. 126 Assim, nao a trocou de bra<;o: queria-a mais honesta e por isso enxertou outras mais sibias dentro dela. Fez-se enxertar reguas, esquadros e outros utensilios para obrigar a mao a abandonar todo improviso. Assim foi que ele, amao direita, impos tal disciplina: fazer 0 que sabia como se 0 aprendesse ainda. 126 He did not give it a new arm; he wanted it to be truer. So he grafted other more intelligent ones into it. He grafted rulers, T-squares and other instruments that forced his hand to abandon all impulsiveness. Thus he imposed on his right hand this discipline: to do what it knew as if it were still learning. Translated by Richard Zenith 127 He did not give it a new arm; he wanted it to be truer. So he grafted other more intelligent ones into it. He grafted rulers, T-squares and other instruments that forced his hand to abandon all impulsiveness. Thus he imposed on his right hand this discipline: to do what it knew as if it were still learning. Translated by Richard Zenith 127 This page intentionally left blank This page intentionally left blank ...