Drummondianos II . . .

A verdade dividida

A porta da verdade estava aberta
mas só deixava passar
meia pessoa de cada vez.

Assim não era possível atingir toda a verdade,
porque a meia pessoa que entrava
só conseguia o perfil de meia verdade.
E sua segunda metade
voltava igualmente com meio perfil.
E os meios perfis não coincidiam.

Arrebentaram a porta. Derrubaram a porta.
Chegaram ao lugar luminoso
onde a verdade esplendia os seus fogos.
Era dividida em duas metades
diferentes uma da outra.

Chegou-se a discutir qual a metade mais bela.
Nenhuma das duas era perfeitamente bela.
E era preciso optar. Cada um optou
conforme seu capricho, sua ilusão, sua miopia.

Carlos Drummond de Andrade

Divided Truth

The door of truth was open
but only half a person
was able to pass through at a time.

So it was not possible to attain the whole truth,
because the half a person who entered
only got half a side of truth.
And his other half
returned equally with half a truth.
And the half sides did not coincide.

They banged on the door. They knocked the door down.
They arrived at the luminous place
where truth shone its splendid fires.
It was divided into two halves
each different from the other.

They argued over which side was more beautiful.
Neither of the two was perfectly beautiful.
And it was necessary to choose. Each one chose
according to his whim, his illusion, his blindness.

gringocarioca