Virna Teixeira
Virna Teixeira was born in Fortaleza, Brazil in 1971 and has lived in São Paulo for many years. She graduated in Medicine, specialized as a neurologist and obtained a MSc in Sleep Disorders at Edinburgh University in 2003. Virna has published 3 books of poetry, Visita (2000), Distância (2005) and Trânsitos (2009), a book of translations of Scottish poet Edwin Morgan, Na Estação Central and an anthology of Scottish poetry translated into Portuguese, Ovelha Negra. Visit her website at: http://papelderascunho.net
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um travesseiro, bordado canto esquerdo: ninguém
an embroidered pillow, left corner: nobody
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pequeno, o frágil corpo soluça
vermelha, a flor entre os dedos
tiny, the fragile body weeps
scarlet flower between fingers
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de manhã, a luz sobre
o vestido amarelo
brilha
no rosto dela
a escuridão lá dentro.
at dawn, the light on
the yellow dress
shines
on her face
the darkness inside.
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desenhar uma pin-up seus contornos, scarpins tornozelos
a crying girl señorita, altiva
colar de contas batom e cílios
platinum blonde dentro de um ford
to draw a pin-up her curves, scarpins ankles
a crying girl proud señorita
beaded necklace lipstick and eyelashes
platinum blonde inside a Ford
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O que enxergava, no silêncio escuro de estrelas
verniz prateado sobre as águas, o deserto longo da praia descalça
uma margem de pequenas pedras
cascalho, conchas
e o movimento inquieto dos peixes entre as ondas nadando em direções
contrárias
What she saw, in the dark silence of stars
silver varnish over waters, the long sandy desert barefoot
a shore of little stones
pebble, shells
and the restless movement fishes between the waves swimming this way
that way
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Enrolou os ferimentos em gaze. Feridas cicatrizam com o tempo. Ainda que restem entalhes. Memórias desenhadas nos ossos, adornos.
Tirou fotografias como registros. Meses após o trauma. Sem sangue nas conjuntivas.
Deixou para trás a câmera. Travesseiro, lençol branco, a água morna do banho. Inverno, lembrança noturna.
A transformação do rosto. Quando retirou as ataduras, as suturas.
No dia da partida, árvores. De perfil no trem, a luz sobre os cabelos, castanhos.
Wrapped the wounds in gauze. Sores scar with time. Even if notches remain. Memories drawn in the bones, adornments.
Took pictures as recordings. Months after the trauma. No blood in the conjunctives.
Left the camera behind. Pillow, white sheet, warm bath water. Winter, nocturnal recall.
The transformation of the face. When the bandages were removed, the stitches.
On the departure day, trees. In profile at the train, the light on the hair, chestnut brown.
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amurada – mochila, livro Lèvi- Strauss : Tristes Tropiques
de camiseta, costas desenhadas no suor debruçadas sobre
rio, páginas
tardes longas desabitadas
…
sala vazia esperando notícias
deck – rucksack, book Lèvi- Strauss : Tristes Tropiques
t-shirt, back outlined by sweat bent over
river, pages
long vacant days
…
empty room waiting for news
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Esfregava as costas dela na banheira cuidando do amor recém-nascido.
Rubbing her back in the bath tub taking care of the new-born love.
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*Santarém is a city in the state of Pará in Brazil.
All poems were originally written in Portuguese by Virna Teixeira.
calçada (sidewalk), Quarto (Bedroom), and LICHTENSTEIN were translated by Virna Teixeira.
playground do diabo (devil’s playground), Noturno (Nocturnal), Detox, and Santarém were translated by Virna Teixeira and Edward Leek.
Fin de siècle was translated by Virna Teixeira and Richard Price.
