A cidade vai dormindo/acordada The city goes on sleeping/awake

A cidade vai dormindo/acordada

A cidade vai dormindo/acordada
com a luz acesa
dos postes, repuxos, estátuas
com todos os sinais funcionando
e o mar.
O metrô não avança nenhum metro.
Só os ônibus sonambulam
lentos, circulares
sem precisar de direção
pois conhecem o caminho de cor:
nem parecem os mesmos que de dia
correm, chapados, entrecortados, e em close-up
nos quadros de Collares.
 

The city goes on sleeping/awake

The city goes on sleeping/awake
with the lights on
its street-lights, fountains, statues
with all its circuits working
and the sea.
The metro doesn't move a metre.
Only the buses sleepwalk
slow, circular
with no need of direction:
they know their way by heart
they don't even look like the buses that, by day,
run flattened, intersected and in close-up
in the paintings of Collares.
 

The city continues to sleep/awake

The city continues to sleep/awake
with the lights on
its electricity poles, fountains, statues
with all its signals working
and the sea.
The metro doesn't progress any metre.  
Only the bus is somnambulistic
slow, circular
with no need for direction
for they know the way by heart:
they don't even resemble the ones that during the day
run, stoned, intersected and in close-up
in the paintings of Collares.
 

Like all five of the poems by Armando Freitas Filho that we translated in our first workshop on his poems, this was a delight to work on. We all loved the delicate picture of a city at night ‘sleeping/awake’ that his poem creates.

Sarah Maguire, Workshop Facilitator

Original Poem by

Armando Freitas Filho

Translated by

Francisco Vilhena with The Poetry Translation Workshop Language

Portuguese

Country

Brazil