Invictus by William Ernest Henley

“Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.”

William Ernest Henley

“Eu Conheço Um Lugar em África”, Wayne Visser

I know a place in Africa
Where I can feel the sun on my back
And the sand between my barefoot toes
Where I can hear the gulls on the breeze
And the waves crash on the endless shore.

I know a place in Africa
Where the mountains touch the skies of blue
And the valleys shelter vines of green
Where the trees spread out a cloth of mauve
And the bushveld wears a coat of beige.

I know a place in Africa
Where I can hear the voice of thunder gods
And watch their lightening spears thrown to earth
Where I can breathe the scent of rain clouds
And taste the sweet dew of dusty drops.

This is the place of wildness
Of evolution and dinosaurs
Where life began and mankind first stood
Of living fossils and elephants
Where lions roar and springbok herds leap.

This is the place of struggle
Of desert plains and thorn trees
Where pathways end and hunters track game
Of horizons and frontiers
Where journeys start and sunsets bleed red.

This is the place of freedom
Of exploration and pioneers
Where darkness loomed and light saw us through
Of living legends and miracles
Where daybreak came and hope now shines bright.

My heart is at home in Africa
Where the sound of drums beat in my chest
And the songs of time ring in my ears
Where the rainbow mist glows in my eyes
And the smiles of friends make me welcome.

My mind is at ease in Africa
Where the people still live close to the soil
And the seasons mark my changing moods
Where the markets hustle with trading
And creation keeps its own slow time.

My soul is at peace in Africa
For her streams bring lifeblood to my veins
And her winds bring healing to my dreams
For when the tale of this land is told
Her destiny and mine are as one.

Um poema de Wayne Wisser

A Um Negrilho, Miguel Torga

“Na terra onde nasci há um só poeta.
Os meus versos são folhas dos seus ramos.
Quando chego de longe e conversamos,
É ele que me revela o mundo visitado.
Desce a noite do céu, ergue-se a madrugada,
E a luz do sol aceso ou apagado
É nos seus olhos que se vê pousada.
Esse poeta és tu, mestre da inquietação
Serena!
Tu, imortal avena
Que harmoniza o vento e adormeces o imenso
Redil de estrelas ao luar maninho.
Tu, gigante a sonhar, bosque suspenso
Onde os pássaros e o tempo fazem ninho!”
…de Miguel Torga

A Forma Justa

“Sei que seria possível construir o mundo justo
As cidades poderiam ser claras e lavadas
Pelo canto dos espaços e das fontes
O céu, o mar e a terra estão prontos
A saciar a nossa fome do terrestre
A terra onde estamos – se ninguém atraiçoasse – proporia
Cada dia a cada um a liberdade e o reino
– Na concha na flor no homem e no fruto
Se nada adoecer a própria forma é justa
E no todo se integra como palavra em verso
Sei que seria possível construir a forma justa
De uma cidade humana que fosse
Fiel à perfeição do universo

Por isso recomeço sem cessar a partir da página em branco
E este é meu ofício de poeta para a reconstrução do mundo”

…de Sophia Mello Breyner Andresen