Two poems translated from Portuguese by the poet
It Took Me a Long Time to Penetrate this Forest
It took me a long time to penetrate this forest
—youth knows neither invitation nor prudence.
I followed the trail
with innocence in my eyes,
with curiosity in my soul,
as my body was magnetized.
I crossed green cathedrals
and gave myself to a rocky depth.
Among mosses and rutilant shrubs,
a timid crevice opened,
and from its bed of vibrant pebbles
flowed a still-moist nacre,
reeking of Nubian odors.
Stripping away fear,
vulgar appetites, and affronts,
I peered, with soul and body in unison,
at the alchemy of those minerals.
Vigilant of breath
and careful with the torch’s fire,
I followed it to the crevice’s depth,
avoiding shortcuts and gravel,
with a graceful step and sure foot.
In this journey without return,
I became contiguous with myself,
in a singular voyage
to the unknown already known.
Since then,
I have taken up permanent dwelling
in this insular and sun-blessed grotto,
distilling from metals
drops of suns and ojas
and other crystals of eternity,
from the secret mucilage
that nature bestows
passionately
under the protectorate
of the constellated dawn.
Demorei muito para penetrar nesta floresta
a juventude não conhece convite nem prudência -.
Segui a trilha
com a inocência nos olhos
com a curiosidade na alma
magnetizado que estava o corpo.
Atravessei catedrais verdes
e me dei a um fundo rochoso.
Entre musgos e arbustos rutilantes
uma greta tímida se abria
e do seu leito de seixos vibrantes
fluía um nácar ainda úmido
trescalando odores núbios.
Despindo do medo
os vulgares apetites e acintes
espiei com alma e corpo uníssonos
a alquimia daqueles minérios.
Vigilante do sopro
e cuidadoso com o fogo do archote
segui ao fundo da greta
escusando atalhos e cascalhos
com o passo garbo e pé seguro.
Nesta viagem sem retorno
comigo fui contíguo
em singular jornada
ao desconhecido já sabido.
Desde então,
tenho morada permanente
nesta gruta insulada e ensolarada
destilando dos metais
gotas de sóis e ojas
e outros cristais de eternidade,
da mucilagem secreta
que a natureza doa
apaixonadamente
sob o protetorado
da madrugada constelada.
_____
Facing East, I Perceive
Facing east, I perceive
only the silence of the oceanic breeze
and this light that casts shadows on the gaze.
[Gnawed noises
rumor of humors
screams of rites
awaken me, call me, invoke me!].
But I’m afraid to turn my back on this sea and this sun.
I’m afraid to turn my body
and face this disheveled horizon.
I know nothing of peaks and slopes
of sudden ascents
entrenched trails
between cliffs and rocky fissures.
[The verticality of existence startles me!]
The midday sun equalizes us
: humans, animals, plants, minerals
We are substance of the same nature
from the same intimate and singular space.
[Noises and rumors!].
But there’s no more ignoring it
: the kindred ones summon each other
the brotherhood clusters together
seeking the same rarefied air.
I turn my gaze northward
in a dissimulated distraction.
The nostrils distinguish the forest odors
that insinuate themselves
into the sea spray of the marine breeze.
The sun declines.
Places crowns on the peaks.
And direction in the gaze.
[Humors and rites!].
I turn my body in a lazy asana
and linger on the opposite.
And fearing I won’t yield anymore to my fears
I aim, with my whole body, at the golden trail
that twilight lowers.
And in a serpentine and luciferic intuition
I ask myself, startled
: could this be my path?
De frente para o leste, percebo
apenas o silêncio da brisa oceânica
e essa luz que dá sombras ao olhar.
[Ruídos roídos
rumor de humores
gritos de ritos
me despertam, chamam, invocam!].
Mas tenho medo de dar as costas para este mar e este sol.
Tenho medo de volver o corpo
e encarar este horizonte em desalinho.
Nada sei de picos e aclives
de súbitas subidas
trilhas entrincheiradas
entre escarpas e fissuras rochosas.
[A verticalidade da existência me espanta!]
O sol ao meio-dia nos iguala
: humanos, animais, vegetais, minerais
Substância somos da mesma natureza
do mesmo íntimo e único espaço.
[Ruídos e rumores!].
Mas não há mais como ignorar
: os semelhantes se convocam
a confraria se aglutina
buscam o mesmo ar rarefeito.
Giro o olhar ao norte
numa distração dissimulada.
As narinas distinguem os odores da floresta
que se insinuam
na maresia da brisa marinha.
O sol declina.
Põe coroa nos cumes.
E direção no olhar.
[Humores e ritos!].
Giro o corpo num ásana preguiçoso
e me detenho no contrário.
E temendo não ceder mais aos meus temores
miro, de corpo inteiro, a trilha dourada
que o crepúsculo baixa.
E numa intuição serpentina e luciférica
me pergunto espantado
: será este o meu caminho?
_____
Poems and translations from B869.1 K96 – São Paulo: Editora Patuá, 2020 – Brazil
Francis Kurkievicz is a poet and editor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy (UFPR, 2002) and an MBA in Management and Production of RTVC (UTP, 2011). In December 2020, he published his poetry collection B869.1 k96 with Editora Patuá. His poems have appeared in digital magazines in Brazil and around the world. In 2022, his work was featured in two of the largest poetry anthologies globally—Living Anthology of Writers of the World, organized by Margarita Al (Russia), and World Poetry Tree. He also contributed to Manseerah: The Great Poetic Epic of Modern Man, both volumes edited by Adel Khosan (Dubai/UAE, 2024). Facebook. Linkedin.
