Curtain

It was winter and we were thirsty.
Perhaps out of fear, that way we have
of being faithful to ourselves.
We staggered to the depths of Lisbon
which that day was to be a house,
once the property of a Jew.
Birds flitted in a room without people,
at the far end was the window, in blinding light.
We hid behind a curtain,
peering sideways from the window
into the memory of our common past.
Afterwards, stupidly, we discussed
poetry. There were five of us. We decided
to split into groups of four.
For some reason I was on my own.

© Translated by Ana Hudson, 2010

Cortina

Era Inverno e nós tínhamos sede.
Talvez por causa do medo, essa forma
de sermos fiéis a nós próprios
Cambaleámos até ao fundo de Lisboa,
que nesse dia se estipulou ser uma casa
outrora propriedade de um judeu.
Pássaros esvoaçavam numa sala sem gente,
a janela ao fundo, em contraluz.
Escondemo-nos atrás de uma cortina,
espreitando pelo canto da janela
a memória do nosso passado comum.
Depois, estupidamente, discutimos
poesia. Éramos cinco. Decidimos
separar-nos em grupos de quatro.
Por qualquer razão fiquei sozinho.

in Bagagem de mão, 2007