Nossa, mais um poema traiçoeiro, incrivelmente difícil de traduzir para inglês.
I can see in my mind's eye what this poem's describing: two overlapping images, one of a DMZ-like area and one of either 南灣 Lago Nam Van or 西灣 Lago Sai Van in Macau. It's unlikely that it's what Estima de Oliveira had in mind, but it's an intriguing juxtaposition, and it's this ability to conjure up reader/listener-specific pictures and emotions that keeps me coming back to poetry, especially poetry in translation.
Both of these lakes were once open to the Pearl River Delta as part of the 大灣 Baía da Praia Grande before being closed off in the early '90s, when the bay was infilled to provide land for new development. I never had the good fortune to see the Praia Grande in its original state, but vestiges of its pedestrian curvature and its attendant charms remain, especially along Avenda da República. You can't look out to sea from there, only Sai Van, but it's still a very pleasant stroll.
My next post be written from Japan. It's absolutely incredible that I can even write that sentence.
Até, caro leitor/a.
DAS
-----
7
entre luzes
um lago metálico
é mar de barro
daqui
o arame farpado
do outro
o outro lado.
-----
7
between the lights
a metallic lake
is a sea of mud
on this side
barbed wire
on the other
the other side.
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