Poem
Bernardim Ribeiro
Between myself and me
Between myself and meI 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.
© Translation: 2020, Adam Mahler
The Portuguese text has been reproduced from the 1554 Ferrara edition, with minimal editorial interventions by the translator. The Portuguese text is available online at the BNP’s Bibliografia Nacional Portuguesa web portal.
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
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
Poems
Poems of Bernardim Ribeiro
Close
Between myself and me
Between myself and meI 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.
© 2020, Adam Mahler
Between myself and me
Between myself and meI 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.
© 2020, Adam Mahler
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