Era um sonho dantesco… o tombadilho
Que das luzernas avermelha o brilho.
Em sangue a se banhar.
Tinir de ferros… estalar de açoite…
Legiões de homens negros como a noite,
Horrendos a dançar…
Negras mulheres, suspendendo às tetas
Magras crianças, cujas bocas pretas
Rega o sangue das maes:
Outras moças, mas nuas e espantadas,
No turbilhao de espectros arrastadas,
Em ânsia e magoa vas!
E ri-se a orquestra irônica, estridente…
E da ronda fantastica a serpente
Faz doudas espirais…
Se o velho arqueja, se no chao resvala,
Ouvem-se gritos… o chicote estala.
E voam mais e mais…
Presa nos elos de uma só cadeia,
A multidao faminta cambaleia,
E chora e dança ali!
Um de raiva delira, outro enlouquece,
Outro, que martirios embrutece,
Cantando, geme e ri!
No entanto o capitao manda a manobra,
E após fitando o céu que se desdobra,
Tão puro sobre o mar,
Diz do fumo entre os densos nevoeiros:
"Vibrai rijo o chicote, marinheiros!
Fazei-os mais dançar!…"
E ri-se a orquestra irônica, estridente. . .
E da ronda fantastica a serpente
Faz doudas espirais…
Qual um sonho dantesco as sombras voam!…
Gritos, ais, maldiçõoes, preces ressoam!
E ri-se Satanas!…
English Translation
It was a Dantesque dream…the deck
With lanterns reddening the glow,
Washing with blood.
Clink of iron…snap of a whip…
Legions of men so black as the night
Hideous dancing…
Black women holding to their breasts
Tiny children, whose black mouths
Are watered by their mother’s blood;
Younger women, nude and frightened,
In the turmoil of spectres dragged
In vain anxiety and sorrow!
And the orchestra laughs, loudly
And from the fantastic round, a serpent
Makes crazy spiral…
If an old man arcs his back, if on the floor he falls,
Screams are heard…a whip snaps.
And flies more and more…
Tight on links of a single chain,
The famished crowd oscillate
And cry and dance, there!
One is delirious with anger, another gets insane
And another one, who is brutalized by tortures
Sings, moans and laughs!
The captain, commands the manoeuvre,
And after staring at the sky which unfolds
So pure above the sea,
He speaks from the soot between a dense fog
“Sway hard the whip, sailors!
Make them dance more!”
And the orchestra laughs, loudly
And from the fantastic round, a serpent
Makes crazy spirals…
Screams, moans, courses, prayers resound!
And Satan laughs!
Notes
Translated for Old Poetry by Mariza G. Góes
The Translation is NOT public Domain
All Rights Reserved Allpoetry member MariGoes
From O Navio Negreiro: Tragedia no Mar (Tragedy at Sea: The Slave Ship, 1880)
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Comments
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yes.. a descent into hell like Dante...a slave ship as grotesque theatre where lives are destroyed, humanity stolen for a laugh, and such small ignorant men, turning God's great gift of life into casual amusement; and the unseen hand behind it all..like the power of a Satan loose in the world... insatiable greed. A wonderful poem here from a man committed to exposing a great evil, moral failing of his time...and this translation has the full force of Castro Alves' storm in it...excellent work...PK
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this is a awsome poem it was one of the best ones ive read in a long time
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Wow i'm glad you translated that, It is worthy read. I felt brought back in time and almost as if I was seeing what the author was picturing. It is a well written piece regaurding history.
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wow..... great reading there. thanks xx
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Hi darkshadow, there are 4 parts posted on his page, the 5th and 6th will come soon
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ooooo good good, i liked it, i will look for the other parts, are the other parts written like this or written in english? anyways this was good, and i liked reading it, im going to go to your profile thing and look at your writings
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