Fernando Pessoa

My gaze is clear as a sunflower.
It is my habit to walk along the roads
Looking right and left,
And from time to time looking back…
And what I see at any moment
Is something that I have never seen before,
And I can notice very well…
I can know the essential wonder
A child knows if at birth
It noticed it was actually being born…
I feel myself born at any moment
To the eternal newness of the World…
I believe in the world like a marigold,
Because I see it. But I don’t think about it
Because to think is to not understand…
The world was not made for us to think about it
(To think is to have pain in the eyes)
But for us to look at it and agree…
I have no philosophy: I have feelings…
If I speak of Nature it is not because I know what it is,
But because I love it, and this why:
Whoever loves knows what he loves
Nor why he loves, or what it is to love…
To love is eternal innocence,
And the only innocence is not to think…

5 thoughts on “Fernando Pessoa

  1. shinichi Post author

    THE KEEPER OF SHEEP II

    translated by Richard Zenith

    from “A Little Larger Than the Entire Universe: Selected Poems”

    **

    My gaze is clear like a sunflower.
    It is my custom to walk the roads
    Looking right and left
    And sometimes looking behind me,
    And what I see at each moment
    Is what I never saw before,
    And I’m very good at noticing things.
    I’m capable of feeling the same wonder
    A newborn child would feel
    If he noticed that he’d really and truly been born.
    I feel at each moment that I’ve just been born
    Into a completely new world…

    I believe in the world as in a daisy,
    Because I see it. But I don’t think about it,
    Because to think is to not understand.
    The world wasn’t made for us to think about it
    (To think is to have eyes that aren’t well)
    But to look at it and to be in agreement.

    I have no philosophy, I have senses…
    If I speak of Nature it’s not because I know what it is
    But because I love it, and for that very reason,
    Because those who love never know what they love
    Or why they love, or what love is.

    To love is eternal innocence,
    And the only innocence is not to think…

    Reply
  2. shinichi Post author

    「わたしの視線は」

    by フェルナンド・ペソア

    translated by 池上岑夫

    from フェルナンド・ペソア詩選『ポルトガルの海』

    **

    わたしの視線は向日葵のようにたしかだ
    わたしは道を歩く きまって
    右を見たり左を見たり
    ときいは振り返ったりして……
    一瞬 一瞬 わたしに見えるものは
    これまで見たことのないもの

    そしてわたしにはそうした自分がはっきりわかる……
    わたしは驚く 生まれたばかりの子供が
    ほんとうに生まれたことを知ったなら
    驚くあの真の驚きを……
    わたしは感じる 一瞬ごとに生まれかわるのを
    この世界の永遠の新しさのなかへ……

    わたしは世界を信じる 雛菊を信じるように
    世界が見えるからだ だが世界について考えたりはしない
    考えるとは理解しないこと……
    世界はつくられたのだ 世界について考えるためでなく
    (考えるとは眼を病むことだ)
    世界を眺め そのまま受け容れるために……

    わたしに哲学はない あるのは感覚だ……
    自然について語ることがあっても それがなにであるか知っているからではない
    愛しているからだ わたしが自然を愛するのはそのためだ
    愛する人はけっして知ることがないのだ なにを愛しているのか
    なぜ愛するのか そして愛するとはいかなることか……

    愛するとは永遠に純粋であること
    そして純粋であるとは 考えないことにほかならないのだ……

    Reply
  3. shinichi Post author

    O Girassol – Fernando Pessoa

    O meu olhar é nítido como um girassol,
    Tenho o costume de andar pelas estradas
    Olhando para a direita e a esquerda
    E de vez em quando olhando para trás…

    E o que vejo a cada momento
    É aquilo que nunca antes eu tinha visto,
    E eu sei dar por isso muito bem…
    Sei Ter o pasmo essencial que tem uma criança
    Se ao nascer, reparasse que nasceras deveras…

    Sinto-me nascido a cada momento
    Para a eterna novidade do Mundo

    Creio no mundo como um malmequer
    Porque o vejo, mas não penso nele
    Porque pensar é não compreender

    O mundo não se fez para pensarmos nele
    (Pensar é estar doente dos olhos)
    Mas para olharmos para ele e estarmos de acordo…

    Eu não tenho filosofia, tenho sentidos…
    Se falo na natureza não é porque a amo, amo-a por isso,
    Porque quem ama nunca sabe o que ama.
    Nem sabe porque ama, nem o que é amar…
    Amar é a eterna inocência
    E a única inocência é não pensar.

    Reply
  4. shinichi Post author

    (Google Translate)

    The Sunflower – Fernando Pessoa

    My look is clear like a sunflower,
    I have the habit of walking the roads
    Looking to the right and left
    And from time to time looking back …

    And what I see every moment
    It’s what I’ve never seen before,
    And I know how to take it very well …
    I know the essential amazement of a child
    If at birth, I noticed that you were really born …

    I feel born every moment
    For the eternal novelty of the World

    I believe in the world as a marigold
    Because I see him, but I do not think of him.
    Because thinking is not understanding

    The world was not made to think of him
    (To think is to be sick of the eyes)
    But to look at it and agree …

    I have no philosophy, I have senses …
    If I speak in nature it is not because I love her, I love her for it,
    Because who loves never knows what he loves.
    You do not even know why you love or what you love …
    To love is eternal innocence
    And the only innocence is not thinking.

    **

    サンフラワー – フェルナンドペソア

    私の見た目はひまわりのように鮮明ですが、
    私は道を歩く習慣がある
    右と左を見る
    そして時折、後ろを振り返って…

    そして私は毎晩何が見えるのか
    それは私がこれまでに見たことがないものですが、
    そして私はそれをとてもうまく利用する方法を知っています…
    私は子供の本質的な驚きを知っている
    出生時に、私はあなたが本当に生まれたことに気付きました…

    私は毎晩生まれると感じる
    世界の永遠のノベルティのために

    私はマリゴールドとして世界を信じています
    私は彼を見るので、私は彼を考えない。
    思考は理解ではないので

    世界は彼を考えさせられなかった
    (考えることは、目の病気になることです)
    しかし、それを見て同意する…

    私には哲学はありません、私には感覚があります…
    私が自然で話すなら、それは私が彼女を愛しているからではなく、私は彼女のためにそれを愛しています、
    誰が愛するかは、彼が何を愛しているかを決して知らないからです。
    あなたはなぜあなたが愛しているか、あなたが愛していることを知らない
    愛することは永遠の無実です
    唯一の無実は考えていない。

    Reply

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