Alberto Estima de Oliveira — O Diálogo do Silêncio / The Dialogue of Silence 46

"Corais" can be read as "coral(s)" or "choirs," so it works much better in Portuguese than English, where you have to pick one or the other.

I think my next translation project for the blog will be something from 包公案 the cases of Judge Bao. I haven't flexed my classical Chinese muscles in a while, and this should be a fun (and probably frustrating) challenge. Até breve, leitores.

DAS

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46


vejo-me
de dentro
como se fosse espelho
reflectindo
o que resta
do caudal em que habito
na várzea
do pouco que conheço

e reflectindo (me)
vejo
o rosto que me ocupa
o interior das órbitas
nas iris soltas de mar

e vou criando
de grão a grão
de areia e poeira
o castelo dos sonhos
adiados

criando
querendo
vou de rocha em rocha
de concha em concha
na busca das vozes dos corais
que habitam
comigo
viajando nas artérias
novelos vermelhos
canções da carne
onde a lúcida certeza
ou a névoa da dúvida
se confirma


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46

i look at myself
from inside
as if i were a mirror
reflecting
what remains
of the stream I inhabit
on the floodplain
of what little I know

and in the (self) reflection
I see
the face I occupy
the interior of my eye sockets
into the sea's unmoored irises

and i'm creating
grain by grain
from sand and dust
the castle of deferred
dreams

creating
seeking
i go from rock to rock
shell to shell
in search of the voices of the corals
that live
with me
traveling the arteries
red skeins
songs of flesh
where lucid certainty
or the fog of doubt
is confirmed