Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

José Tolentino Mendonça

THE CHILDHOOD OF HERBERTO HELDER

In the beginning was the island
although it’s said
that the Spirit of God
hugged the waters

In those days
I’d lie down on the ground
to look at the stars
without ever thinking
that those bodies of fire
might be dangerous

In those days
I plotted the stars’ coordinates
by lining up marbles
on the grass

I didn’t know that every poem
is a tumult
that can upset
the order of the universe now
I believe

I was almost an angel
and wrote rigorous
reports
about silence

In those days
it was still possible
to find God
in the wastes

That was before
I learned algebra

A INFANCIA DA HERBERTO HELDER

A INFANCIA DA HERBERTO HELDER

No princípio era a ilha
embora se diga
o Espírito de Deus
abraçava as águas

Nesse tempo
estendia-me na terra
para olhar as estrelas
e não pensava
que esses corpos de fogo
pudessem ser perigosos

Nesse tempo
marcava a latitude das estrelas
ordenando berlindes
sobre a erva

Não sabia que todo o poema
é um tumulto
que pode abalar
a ordem do universo agora
acredito

Eu era quase um anjo
e escrevia relatórios
precisos
acerca do silêncio

Nesse tempo
ainda era possível
encontrar Deus
pelos baldios

Isto foi antes
de aprender a álgebra
Close

THE CHILDHOOD OF HERBERTO HELDER

In the beginning was the island
although it’s said
that the Spirit of God
hugged the waters

In those days
I’d lie down on the ground
to look at the stars
without ever thinking
that those bodies of fire
might be dangerous

In those days
I plotted the stars’ coordinates
by lining up marbles
on the grass

I didn’t know that every poem
is a tumult
that can upset
the order of the universe now
I believe

I was almost an angel
and wrote rigorous
reports
about silence

In those days
it was still possible
to find God
in the wastes

That was before
I learned algebra

THE CHILDHOOD OF HERBERTO HELDER

In the beginning was the island
although it’s said
that the Spirit of God
hugged the waters

In those days
I’d lie down on the ground
to look at the stars
without ever thinking
that those bodies of fire
might be dangerous

In those days
I plotted the stars’ coordinates
by lining up marbles
on the grass

I didn’t know that every poem
is a tumult
that can upset
the order of the universe now
I believe

I was almost an angel
and wrote rigorous
reports
about silence

In those days
it was still possible
to find God
in the wastes

That was before
I learned algebra
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