Selected Poetry, 1937–1990

O mar e o canavial / The Sea and the Canefield

O mar e o canavial O que o mar sim aprende docanavial: a elocugao horizontal de seu verso; a georgica de cordel, ininterrupta, narrada em voz e silencio paralelos. O que o mar nao aprende docanavial; a veemencia passional da preamar; a mao-de-pilao das ondas na areia, moida e miuda, pilada do que pilar. O que o canavial sim aprende do mar: o avangar em linha rasteira da onda; o espraiar-se minucioso, de liquido, alagando cova a cova onde se alonga. O que o canavial nao aprende do mar: o desmedido do derramar-se da cana; o comedimento do latifundio do mar, que menos lastradamente se derrama. 132 o mar e 0 canavial a que 0 mar sim aprende do canavial: a elocuc;ao horizontal de seu verso; a ge6rgica de cordel, ininterrupta, narrada em voz e silencio paralelos. a que 0 mar nao aprende do canavial; a veemencia passional da preamar; a mao-de-pilao das ondas na areia, moida e miuda, pilada do que pilar. a que 0 canavial sim aprende do mar: o avanc;ar emlinha rasteira da onda; o espraiar-se minucioso, de liquido, alagando cova a cova onde se alonga. a que 0 canavial nao aprende do mar: o desmedido do derramar-se da cana; o comedimento do latifundio do mar, que menos lastradamente se derrama. 132 The Sea and the Canefield The sea does learn from the canefield the horizontal eloquence of its verse, georgics of the newsstand, uninterrupted, spoken aloud and parallel in silence. The sea does not learn from the canefield to rise in a passionate tide, a pestle pounding the beach, crushing the sand, making it finer. The canefield does learn from the sea to advance in a creeping line, to spread itself out, liquid, hole by hole up to the tideline. The canefield does not learn from the sea how the sugarcane is always flowing; that the sea is held, and flows less heavily, for it is held. Translated by Louis Simpson 133 The Sea and the Canefield The sea does learn from the canefield the horizontal eloquence of its verse, georgics of the newsstand, uninterrupted, spoken aloud and parallel in silence. The sea does not learn from the canefield to rise in a passionate tide, a pestle pounding the beach, crushing the sand, making it finer. The canefield does learn from the sea to advance in a creeping line, to spread itself out, liquid, hole by hole up to the tideline. The canefield does not learn from the sea how the sugarcane is always flowing; that the sea is held, and flows less heavily, for it is held. Translated by Louis Simpson 133 ...