He invents so completely
That he succeeds in inventing
That the pain he really feels is pain.
And those who read what he writes
Really feel in the pain they have read,
Not the two which he felt,
But only the one they do not have.
And thus in the wheel ruts
There goes round and round, diverting Reason
That clockwork toy train
Which is called heart.
Translated by F.E.G. Quintanilha
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portrait of Fernando Pessoa by Almada Negreiros (Orpheu #2 on the desk) |