Pedro Mexia

1972 / Lisbon

Paraphrase

This poem begins by comparing you
to the constellations,
with their magical names
and precise drawings,
and afterwards
a jeu de mots signals
that without you astronomy
is an unfortunate science.
Two metaphors follow
introducing the theme
of light and of the beloved's
Petrarchan contrasts,
in the sad safe haven
of imagination.
The second stanza suggests
that the diversity of human beings
is proof of both God's
and your own existence
as it evokes
one by one
the attributes
that partake in your nature
and in the space that creates
your silence.
A hyperbole, at the end,
declares that I miss you immensely.

Translated by Ana Hudson
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