Carlos Drummond de Andrade

thumb|upright=1.1|When I was born, one of those twistedangels who live in the shadows said:"Carlos, get ready to be a misfit in life!" Carlos Drummond de Andrade (October 31, 1902 – August 17, 1987) was a Brazilian poet and writer, considered by some as the greatest Brazilian poet of all time. Quotes English translations are taken from Multitudinous Heart: Selected Poems, trans. Richard Zenith (Penguin Modern Classics, 2016), 978-0241188408, unless otherwise noted. Alguma Poesia [Some Poetry] (1930) Quando nasci, um anjo tortoDesses que vivem na sombraDisse: Vai Carlos! Ser gauche na vida.(...)Meu Deus, por que me abandonastesse sabias que eu não era Deus,se sabias que eu era fraco.Mundo mundo vasto mundo,se eu me chamasse Raimundoseria uma rima, não seria uma solução.Mundo mundo vasto mundo,mais vasto é meu coração.Eu não devia te dizermas essa luamas esse conhaquebotam a gente comovido como o diabo. When I was born, one of those twistedangels who live in the shadows said:"Carlos, get ready to be a misfit in life!"(...)My God, why have you forsaken meif you knew that I wasn't God,if you knew that I was weak.World so large, world so wide,if my name were Clyde,it would be a rhyme but not an answer.World so wide, world so large,my heart's even larger.I shouldn't tell you,but this moonbut this brandymake me sentimental as hell. "Poema de sete faces" ["Seven-sided Poem"] Eu não vi o mar.Não sei se o mar é bonito.Não sei se ele é bravo.O mar não me importa.Eu vi a lagoa.A lagoa, sim.A lagoa é grandee calma também.Na chuva de coresda tarde que explode,a lagoa brilha.A lagoa se pintade todas as cores.Eu não vi o mar.Eu vi a lagoa... I never saw the sea.I don't know if it's pretty,I don't know if it's rough.The sea doesn't matter to me.I saw the lake.Yes, the lake.The lake is large and also calm.The rain of colorsfrom the exploding afternoonmakes the lake shimmermakes it a lake paintedby every color.I never saw the sea.I saw the lake ... "Lagoa" ["Lake"] Sentimento do mundo [Feeling of the World] (1940) thumb|I have just two handsand the feeling of the world Tenho apenas duas mãose o sentimento do mundo,mas estou cheio de escravos,minhas lembranças escorreme o corpo transigena confluência do amor. I have just two handsand the feeling of the world,but I'm teeming with slaves,my memories are streamingand my body yieldsat the crossroads of love. "Sentimento do mundo" ["Feeling of the World"] A Rosa do Povo [Rose of the People] (1945) thumb|upright=1.3|And each moment is different, and each manis different, and we are all equal. E cada instante é diferente, e cadahomem é diferente, e somos todos iguais. And each moment is different, and each manis different, and we are all equal. "Os últimos dias" ["The Last Days"] Novos Poemas [New Poems] (1948) Eu preparo uma cançãoem que minha mãe se reconheça,todas as mães se reconheçam,e que fale como dois olhos.Caminho por uma ruaque passa em muitos países.Se não me vêem, eu vejoe saúdo velhos amigos.Eu distribuo um segredocomo quem ama ou sorri.No jeito mais naturaldois carinhos se procuram.Minha vida, nossas vidasformam um só diamante.Aprendi novas palavrase tornei outras mais belas.Eu preparo uma cançãoque faça acordar os homense adormecer as crianças. I'm making a songwhere my mother and all motherswill see themselves mirrored,a song that speaks like two eyes.I'm walking on a roadthat runs through many countries.They may not see me, but I seeand salute old friends.I'm spreading a secretlike a man who loves or smiles.Affection seeks affectionin the most natural way.My life, our lives,form a single diamond.I've learned new wordsand made others more beautiful.I'm making a songfor waking up menand putting children to sleep. "Canção amiga" ["I'm Making a Song"] As Impurezas do Branco [Impurities of White] (1973) Amor é o que se aprende no limite,depois de se arquivar toda a ciênciaherdada, ouvida. Amor começa tarde. Love is what we learn on the brink,after we've archived all our inheritedand acquired science. Love begins late. "Amor e seu tempo" ["The Time of Love"] Quotes about Drummond The free verse of Carlos Drummond de Andrade made me think: That’s how I want to write. Reading him I realized I didn’t need rules hanging over me, I could write however I wanted. Adélia Prado, Interview for Bomb Magazine (1985) I believe he (João Cabral de Melo Neto) was part of Brazil’s great poetry trinity, along with Manuel Bandeira and Carlos Drummond de Andrade. Lygia Fagundes Telles, conversation published in Bomb Magazine (2008). Translated from Portuguese into English by Yv Maciel. External links Category:1902 births Category:1987 deaths Category:Poets from Brazil Category:Agnostics Category:Communists