I believe in the word…

I believe in the word
Its rugged stone its surface
Star as unnamable as fire
I believe in its shadow
Its singular measure
Its exact circumference as it burns
In life with its urban animals
Animals vanishing in the verb’s darkness
To believe in the infinite swamp of its sport
And not dwell in uncertain blindness
Poetry surrendering to literal reality
Absent from the piercing life
I believe the word, its secret light
Between its making and its telling as it is read

© Translated by Ana Hudson, 2011

A palavra eu acredito nela…

A palavra eu acredito nela
Na sua pedra rugosa na sua superfície
De astro inominável como o fogo
A palavra eu acredito na sua sombra
Na sua medida singular
Na sua circunferência exacta quando arde
Na vida com seus animais urbanos
Evolando-se os animais no verbo escuro
Acreditar no infinitivo lodo do seu jogo
E não permanecer na sua cegueira incerta
A poesia quando se rende ao real literal
Ausente da vida que a perfura
A palavra eu acredito nela e na sua luz secreta
Entre o seu fazer e o ser dita na leitura

A Sombra no Limite, 2004

Our PBBI-Fresno State Project

Roots and Wings: Portuguese Poetry in Translation is a series that gathers voices from Portugal and introduces English language readers to a tradition at once intimate and expansive, where the rhythms of saudade echo across the Atlantic and the light of new lands refracts into verse.

Each poem is a journey: from the ancestral lands to homes throughout the English-speaking world, from classic poets who shaped a language to contemporary voices writing freedom, justice, and love into the present. Together, these poems are bridges between generations, geographies, and languages.

For Portuguese communities in North America, this series is a return to origins, a reclaiming of memory, and a celebration of their shared heritage. For all readers, it is an invitation to discover a lyrical heritage that speaks to the universal human condition — the desire for home, the ache of distance, and the wonder of words that, like wings, transcend borders.

This project is sponsored by the Luso-American Education Foundation.

Become a Member of LAEF -Use the link below

https://event.auctria.com/5e89c412-a9f1-41b4-a429-1fad5b362180/