And now, José?
the party’s over,
the people have gone,
the night has chilled,
and now, José?
and now, you?
you who are nameless,
who scoffs at others
you who versifies,
who loves, protests?
and now, José?
You have no woman,
you have no discourse,
you have no affection,
you can’t drink,
you can’t smoke,
you can’t even spit,
the night has chilled,
the day hasn’t come,
the tram hasn’t come
the smile hasn’t come
utopia hasn’t come
all has ended
all has fled
all has decayed,
and now, José?
And now José?
your sweet word,
your moment of passion,
feasting and fasting,
your library,
your golden garden,
your glass suit,
your incoherence,
your hate – and now?
With a key in hand that
wants to open the door,
the door doesn’t exist;
who wants to die in the sea,
but the sea has dried up;
who wants to go to Minas,
Minas doesn’t exist anymore.
José, and now?
If you should scream,
if you should groan,
if you should play
the Viennese waltz
if you should sleep,
if you should tire,
if you should die…
but you don’t die,
you are tough, José!
Alone in the dark,
the recluse,
without Hesiod’s Theogony,
without a bare wall
to lean upon,
without a black horse
to escape upon,
march, José!
José, where to?
(tr J Carlos Deegan)
Nice one Carlos. Thanks for sharing
I’m having a problem using two column format, else I would have included the original Portuguese:-) Thanks for the encouragement, it was a rather quick translation but my favorite cultural venue in Porto, “Gato Vadio,” is having a night devoted to Drummond. Hope you are well!