Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Bernardim Ribeiro

Between myself and me

Between myself and me
I don’t know what’s emerged
to make me my own enemy.

For a time I lived as a fool,
at peace with myself.
Now I see the great harm
a great danger can wreak.
Disillusion costs dearly:
so costly was my latest
disillusion, it didn’t kill me.

I’m a stranger to myself.
My cruel fate is dispersed
in sorrow after sorrow,
cruelly sent my way.
Fresh pain, fresh fear
have taken ahold of me.
Here I am, trapped.

Between myself and me

Antre mi mesmo em mim
não sei que se alevantou
que tão meu inimigo sou

Uns tempos com grande engano
vivi eu mesmo comigo
agora no maior perigo
se me descobriu mor dano
caro custou um desengano
e pois m’este não matou
assaz caro me custou

De mim sou feito alheo
Antre cuidado e cuidado
está um mal derramado
que por meu grão mal me veo
Nova dor novo arreceo
foi este que me matou
que tão meu inimigo sou
Close

Between myself and me

Between myself and me
I don’t know what’s emerged
to make me my own enemy.

For a time I lived as a fool,
at peace with myself.
Now I see the great harm
a great danger can wreak.
Disillusion costs dearly:
so costly was my latest
disillusion, it didn’t kill me.

I’m a stranger to myself.
My cruel fate is dispersed
in sorrow after sorrow,
cruelly sent my way.
Fresh pain, fresh fear
have taken ahold of me.
Here I am, trapped.

Between myself and me

Between myself and me
I don’t know what’s emerged
to make me my own enemy.

For a time I lived as a fool,
at peace with myself.
Now I see the great harm
a great danger can wreak.
Disillusion costs dearly:
so costly was my latest
disillusion, it didn’t kill me.

I’m a stranger to myself.
My cruel fate is dispersed
in sorrow after sorrow,
cruelly sent my way.
Fresh pain, fresh fear
have taken ahold of me.
Here I am, trapped.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère