Later poems will not include translations but only explanations of the poem and the meaning of some obscure terms. Finally there will be a set of poems by other poets (Portuguese and Brazilian) which will be explained, but this time only in Portuguese. In each case, the poem will be read by one or more native Portuguese, to help you perfect your own reading and understanding of the sounds.
- Have fun and learn Portuguese with the poets!
Poems by Fernando Pessoa (including translations and mp3 files):
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Mar Português is the capital short poem of Portuguese Literature and also Pessoa's best known poem in his homeland. It sums up the cost of conquering the seas in terms of suffering.
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Horizonte, from the Portuguese Sea cycle of Mensagem, is a beautiful and calm poem in which Pessoa muses about the fear of the unknown that was conquered by the early nauts.
- Gládio (Written in 1913 this beautiful poem was the very first of the set that would one day become Mensagem).
- Última Nau is a fascinating poem that starts with King Sebastian leaving Lisbon for Morocco in 1578, under a sky of ill-omen. The Last Galleon flying his colours never returned because the young king disappeared in the battle of El-Ksar-el-Kebir. Pessoa brings the reader abruptly to the time of his writing, as if he had woken up from a dream of the past, only to fall immediately in a dream of the future: he now sees King Sebastian returning, still bent on accomplishing an Universal Empire...
- Tabacaria (Pessoa's 1928 masterpiece- written as Álvaro de Campos- in which he wanders between his metaphysical thoughts and the outside reality embodied in the tobacco shop in front of his room).
Poems and prose by Fernando Pessoa (including explanations and mp3 files):
Poems by other poets (including explanation in Portuguese and mp3 files):
- A cidade é um chão de palavras pisadas (Ary dos Santos)
- Canto Moço (José Afonso)
- Pedra Filosofal (António Gedeão)
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Cântico Negro (José Régio)
- Povo que lavas no rio (Pedro Homem de Mello)
- Árvores do Alentejo (Florbela Espanca)
- Ser Poeta (Florbela Espanca)
- Soneto de Fado Tropical (Ruy Guerra/ Chico Buarque)
- Língua Portuguesa (Olavo Bilac)
- De Tarde (Cesário Verde)
- Idílio (Antero do Quental)
- Endechas a uma escrava chamada Bárbara (Luiz de Camões)
- Descalça vai para a fonte... (Luiz de Camões)
- Alma minha gentil, que te partiste... (Luiz de Camões)
- O dia em que eu nasci... (Anónimo- atribuído a Luiz de Camões)
Other texts
- Eça de Queirós (O Primo Basílio- Cap. 1- excerpt);
- Eça de Queirós (O Suave Milagre- excerpt)