As most of us are watching The World Cup taking place in Brazil, I thought I would share this lovely story of the Brazilian poet, Manuel Bandeira, with you once again. I wrote about it in my early blogging days so most of you may be unfamiliar with it.
It reminds me of why I love Brazil.
image via http://www.poesiaspoemaseversos.com.br
Manuel Bandeira was given a life-long private parking space in front of his apartment building in Rio de Janeiro by city officials.
The plaque above the space read POETA.
The best part of the story is that Bandeira not only didn’t own a car; he didn’t even know how to drive (I just love that!).
Today let’s think about how we honor our poets.
Here is one of my favorite Bandeira poems (the English translation follows original Portuguese):
Momento Num Café
Quando o enterro passou
Os homens que se achavam no café
Tiraram o chapéu maquinalmente
Saudavam o morto distraídos
Estavam todos voltados para a vida
Absortos na vida
Confiantes na vida.
Um no entanto se descobriu num gesto largo e demorado
Olhando o esquife longamente
Este sabia que a vida é uma agitação feroz e sem finalidade
Que a vida é traição
E saudava a matéria que passava
Liberta para sempre da alma extinta
MOMENT IN A CAFÉ
When the funeral procession passed by
The men who were in the café
Tipped their hats mechanically
In a perfunctory and absent-minded salute to the dead
For they themselves were all turned toward life
They were swallowed up in life.
They were relying upon life.
One of them, swept off his hat
In a long and slow arc of a gesture
And stared at the hearse:
For this man knew that life is a fierce and timeless agitation
That life is a treason
And he paid his respects to the flesh which passed by
Forever freed from the dead soul.
(trans. by John Nist and Yolanda Leite)
reading interrupted. 
What a great thing to do….. Have us read a beautiful Brazilian poem during this great world cup! I love the poem and I love the story about the parking (which I had forgotten)
Francoise
This story always makes me smile too. The parking space is a sort of metaphor, I suppose: the city telling him that they are honoring him by making space for him and his creativity.
I wonder if Manuel enjoyed the gift? I know he received other honors but the gesture of the parking space is something for many to see that he was being honored. I loved the poem you chose. I too love Brazil and its people.
That’s a good point. The parking space was a public honor (and perhaps used by his driver or wife?). Certainly an original honor.
p.s. thanks for the tweet!
“turned toward life”—I like those words. What a wonderful poem. As for the parking space, I wonder who has it now. 🙂
It’s a beautiful poem, isn’t it?
Good point – who has the parking spot now? Maybe they took down the sign (or maybe it stayed in the family!). I’ll have to go to Rio and find out…
Seems a perfectly good reason to make a trip to Rio! 🙂
If I can’t go to the World Cup final, then this is an equally good reason to go, haha!
🙂
This poem is especially poignant while watching my dad in the last years of his life. I try to live by the maxim that “life is a fearless and timeless agitation” and therefore it is this moment which counts. You never know what the next moment will bring.
Thanks.
What a powerful maxim. Your thoughts remind me of Buddhist teachings to live in the present. Thanks for sharing them.
I love the poem and the parking spot story. You made me think: how do we honor poets today? Or rather, do we at all?
Certainly this story suggests that we could honor them in more creative ways, right? We need to get on that!
I love stories like that, in fact a parking space for a non driver is the quirky thing would delight me…I suppose that gives you much scope in case you were inclined to honour me at anytime (no pressure).
Life is a treason…how unbelievably thought provoking…this is a poet I need to check out.
Well, I was going to surprise you with this for Christmas, but I’m in the middle of constructing an airplane hangar in your honor for your nonexistent airplane. The plaque above it will read “Thinker”
Well that is some honour…I promise not to learn to fly ever now. My to do list is now empty…thank you!
You’re most welcome – a well deserved honor (I’ll be in touch for the opening ceremony, of course).
Wonderful and profound poem. Interesting about the parking space.
Great story, isn’t it?
a stunning poem, thank you. Will seek out more…. 🙂
His poetry is worth exploring. Hope you’re having a lovely start to your summer!
We’re having some glorious weather already. And as we approach the longest day (21 June), all the clear skies mean that it does not get completely dark through the night up here in Scotland. Wonderful.
I love that about Scotland. Having only visited in the summer (both times were in July) I’ve only experienced those kind of nights in Scotland. I remember coming back to my hotel after a long evening out and realizing with surprise that it was almost midnight. “but it’s not dark out!” I exclaimed gleefully.
That sounds wonderful – nights to read by! 🙂
Love this! If only we honored creative people here in the States. Le sigh…
Perhaps Portland honors its artists in creative ways. Wouldn’t it be great to have a bicycle lane for writers only, for example? Or a tax free month for oil painters?
Silvie’s very own bicycle lane? She’d be over the moon.
That would be a brilliant strategy anywhere.
Stunning. Perhaps they should do what is being done in San Francisco, turning parking spaces in to mini public parks.
What a lovely idea!! This would be a great way to honor poets as well, including a little bench and then one could sit and read the poet’s work. San Francisco has its heart in the right place.
💓
Life is a treason. Thank you for sharing him Letizia, I’m not familiar with him…but I will be. How do we honor our poets? Good question, all I can up with is memorize their poems 🙂
And what a wonderful way that is to honor any poet, Abby!
A powerful poem Letizia, thanks for introducing us. I don’t know that we would ever honour a poet in that kind of way in the UK, or a writer of any kind…yes, there are awards and fame, but this seems like a different kind of respect.
I agree, Andrea, awards and fame are great too, but a different recognition. I wish we were more personal in our praise of artists at times.
Yes, I must admit that the World Cup is making me very unproductive and the glimpses of those beaches and tropical towns… Oh, the poem is good, too! 🙂
It’s so hard to get anything done with all these matches on, isn’t it?? I was thinking of you today during the Brazil-Mexico game as I imagine you have a special place in your heart for Mexico. They held their own today!
YES! A fine performance given the skill of Brazil. I also like the little countries. I was rooting for Uruguay but they couldn’t pull it off. Chile is looking pretty good though. Should be a good match against Spain tomorrow. I suppose you are rooting for Brazil or Italy, given your linguistic affinity.
I love the little teams too. I’m Swiss and French so love to see them do well (especially Switzerland as it’s so unexpected!). But I lived in Brazil and Italy so always root for them too.
I’m not sure what I’ll do when France plays Switzerland. Identity crisis!!
HaHa!
Oh Brazil is disappointing me so much this World Cup. 😦
That said, I think that’s a lovely tribute to pay to one of their poets! And the poem is quite nice too! =]
They’re just warming up, they’re just warming up!! 🙂
This poem is beautiful and I just love the car park story (LOL) 😀
The city officials found a great way to honor a wonderful poet, right?
Love the combination of poetry and soccer. 🙂
Being consumed with the World Cup, I had to find a way of sneaking it into my blog somehow, hehe!
🙂 Glad you did!
Are you following the matches? If so, who are you rooting for?
Not really following. Watching a bit here and there as it comes on to the BBC.
Bravo for this post Letizia! I absolutely love the delightful story about this poet Manuel Bandeira. To my shame, I’ve never heard of him but he is obviously very highly regarded in Brazil, and I can see why. Thank you so much for sharing his poem too, goodness, the vision that these few words conjure up and his thoughts about life and death…incredible. ‘…they were relying upon life’… Much to think of 🙂
There are so many great lines in this poem, I agree! Brazil has a rich history of great poets – I’m still discovering new ones and new poems. And the language and pronunciation seems to lend itself to poetry somehow.
Yes, I can see that Letizia, with the language, so rich and flowing. Brazil is a country that fascinates me, and not because of the World Cup (I’m not a football fan, bring on Wimbledon I say!) but I would love to visit one of these days….
Perfect timing…poetry and soccer. At least if the bureaucrats can award him a parking space then Brazil is showing its romanticism,metaphorically. An interesting post,Letizia.
Bureaucratic romanticism, a new literary term!
Nice story Letizia. Do you have connections to Brazil? I’m afraid most poetry leaves me bewildered though – lack of brain cells maybe. Meanwhile the glum prognosis around here is at least the Spanish, Portuguese and English teams can save money by getting the same early plane home.
Perhaps the English team still has a chance. I hope so. At least it’s been a great Cup in terms of good matches. I used to live in Brazil so I’d be happy to see them win (or Italy… or France, but that’s a loooong shot.)
Letizia,
This poem clearly stands out… It reminded me of Fernando Pessoa and those sad odes by Ricardo Reis… The blue feeling (saudade) is captivating and really touching here.
Great spotlight!… Thanks for sharing.
Best wishes, Aquileana 😀
There is something similar to Pessoa, you’re right. I hadn’t thought about it until you pointed it out, but that theme of saudade (so hard to really translate, isn’t it?) is there. Thanks for your thoughtful comment, as always.
Great idea to tie in the Brazilian poet with our watching of the World Cup! You = smartie-gal 🙂 I giggled about the parking spot story too xo
With our eyes glued to the t.v. and our hearts in Brazil, it’s hard not to think of Brazilian culture these days, right? 🙂 Hope the matches are turning out in your favor, Christy!
“For this man knew that life is a fierce and timeless agitation
That life is a treason”
These lines resonated! We live in a fast-paced, ever changing, mercurial world that keeps us focused on the moment. Ah, if we could only see that life slips by, easily, relentlessly. Perhaps, if we did, we would live our lives differently. We live in a finite existence but time seems to have infinity on its side.
It’s so true Rebecca. Our lives pass by so quickly it seems. We need to be reminded to enjoy and appreciate each moment as they are gifts.
Letizia thank you for sharing a poet I have not heard of before it is a special poem indeed and one we should all live by. Thanks for sharing it.
I’m so glad it resonated with you as well. I love rereading it as I appreciate a new line each time.
Letizia yes it seems to have layers and depth, a poet who knows how to create art well and make us return again and again. That is the gift.
So true.
Terrific poem. Thanks for sharing it!
Glad it touched you too!
I love poetry, even when I can’t understand it. 🙂 I think the story about the parking space is really neat.
I love that you enjoy poetry even when you don’t understand it – that made me smile! (sorry for the late reply to your comment, I was away on holiday)
Well here’s a way to get my attention … as if you needed it. I’m running out of teams I actually like, but you’ve given me reason to give Brazil another chance with this poem. Even after reading it, I can see it playing out …
Let’s hope Brazil can take on Germany despite missing Neymar and Silva…. I’m a bit worried. Hopefully it will be a good match nonetheless!
p.s. thanks for the tweet 🙂
A bit worried – now that we know, what an understatement!
Completely! I never saw such a defeat coming!
I think Germany have used up all their goals, though. Let’s hope.
A life-long parking space. Wow! That would be amazing in London, even though I don’t have a car either, but I do know how to drive (according to me, others might disagree). Lovely poem and I can’t believe the cup is over. Time flies.
A parking spot in London would be great, I agree! I’d love to see your driving skills one day, haha!
It was a great joy for me to read original text in Portuguese and English translation. Thank You.
It’s always good to read poetry in its original language when one can, I agree. Thanks for reading and commenting. Hope you’re having a good summer!