BRAZILIAN LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION #3
When it’s this
it’s not that
Cecília Meireles
+7
years
When it’s this it’s not that
Cecília Meireles
Translated by Sarah Rebecca Kersley and Telma Franco Diniz Abud
When it’s this it’s not that
When there’s rain from above, there’s no sun,
if there’s sun, there’s no rain from above.
When I put on my glove, I can’t wear my ring,
if I’m wearing my ring, there’s no place for the glove.
If you fly to the sky, you can’t stay on the ground,
if you stay on the ground, you can’t fly to the sky.
It is really a shame that you just cannot be
in two places at once; you can’t even try.
When I’m saving my cash, I can’t buy any candy,
if I buy myself candy, I can’t save my cash.
When it’s that it’s not this, when it’s this it’s not that,
I spend my whole day choosing which way to dash.
Should I play with my toys or study my books?
run about and around or sit still with no chat?
And I still have trouble understanding
which one is better: if it’s this one, or that?
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When it’s this it’s not that | Cecília Meireles
Flash flood
Go fetch Alexandre!
Go fetch him!
Watch the rain approach!
It’s a flash flood.
Watch it wash away the floor...
Watch out as the rain drenches one and all!
Fetch the key to shut the door.
Shut the door to shield the lashing rain,
watch the street awash!
Boil a fresh teapot on the hearth:
Watch out for flames! for flashes!
for the rain on the chopped up wood!
Let’s relish in tea, as the rain lashes
so much that even in galoshes
we cannot slosh across the street!
Go fetch Alexandre!
Go fetch him!
2
When it’s this it’s not that | Cecília Meireles
The catch
Basket of fish on the ground.
Shoals of fish in the sea.
Sharp smell of fish in the air.
And fish on the ground.
Weeping waves cover the sand
as the tide moves higher up the land.
The hands of the sea move up and down
the hands of the sea on the sand
where all the fish can be found.
The hands of the sea move up and down
but always rebound
never reaching the ground
where the fish can be found.
That’s why the waves always weep on the sand
as they try in vain to move up the land.
3
When it’s this it’s not that | Cecília Meireles
The little white horse
The little white horse at sundown
feels tired and grey;
but in the farm there’s a piece of ground
where it’s always holiday.
So the little white horse tosses back
his long, blond mane,
and flings his white life to the mosses
giving it free rein.
When he whinnies, the roots tremble
and he teaches the wind
the joy of having freedom to amble,
trot and sprint.
He’s worked so hard all day!
from dawn till the night came!
Amid the flowers idle away, little white horse
with the golden mane.
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When it’s this it’s not that | Cecília Meireles
The mosquito writes
The long-legged mosquito
twists his leg, an M he makes
then he shakes, shakes, shakes,
into a rather long O,
then an S.
The mosquito flies high, then falls
with style, but far from view,
he forms a Q,
then U, then I, he scrawls.
This most curious
mosquito
crosses his leg, makes a T.
Did you see?
He plumps out: a second O is done
prettier than the other one.
Oh,
illiterate he is not,
this flying dot.
Yes, he can sign on the line.
But then he’ll set his sight
on someone he can bite,
for writing isn’t always fun,
don’t you think, little one?
And it’s his feeding time.
5
When it’s this it’s not that | Cecília Meireles
Titmouse in its house
T has a toupee.
T has toes.
Is it T who trills?
(Trill!)
Who is it?
T cannot trill:
T can’t do so.
T just has toupee
and toes.
Is that the toad?
The toad can’t do so.
(Trill!)
It’s the titmouse
who built his house
in a tree hole.
Trill with toupee.
Trill with toes.
Trill-trill-trill-trill:
Titmouse.
Titmouse
in a tree hole.
6
When it’s this it’s not that | Cecília Meireles
The ballerina
This little miss
no bigger than this
thinks ballet is bliss.
She can’t tell her Res from her Dos
but she knows how to stand on her toes.
She can’t tell a Fa from a Sol
but moves her body to and fro.
She can’t tell a Lah from a Ti
but closes her eyes full of glee.
Her arms stretched high, she twirls and twirls around,
never dizzy or losing ground.
She covers her head with a veil and a star,
telling us all she has come from afar.
This little miss
no bigger than this
thinks ballet is bliss.
But then all the moves disappear from her head
and just like the other kids, she wants her bed.
7
When it’s this it’s not that | Cecília Meireles
About the published book:
When it’s this it’s not that
Cecília Meireles
• Original title: Ou isto ou aquilo
• ISBN: 978-85-260-1710-8
• Publication year: 1964
• Original publishing house:
Editora Giroflé
• Number of pages: 48
• Total printing in Brazil: 200.000
copies (at least).
Seven editions published between 1964
and 2012, with seven different illustrators:
the first edition, illustrated by Maria
Bonomi, was published in 1964 by Editora
Giroflê; the second, illustrated by Rosa
Frisoni, came out in 1969, by Editora
Melhoramentos, and had one reprint; the
next, illustrated by Eleonora Affonso, was
published in 1977 by Editora Civilização
Brasileira; the following edition, illustrated
by Fernanda Correia Dias, granddaughter
of Meireles, was published in 1987,
by Editora Nova Fronteira; in 1990, the
same Publishing House launched a new
edition, illustrated by Beatriz Berman,
with up to 33 reprints; the 6th edition,
also launched by Editora Nova Fronteira
was illustrated by Thais Linhares and
released in 2002, with 18 reprints up to
2012, when Global Editora published the
7th edition, illustrated by Odilon Moraes.
Altogether the book has sold more than
200.000 copies.
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Synopsis
The poetry collection “Ou isto ou aquilo”,
by Cecília Meireles (1901-1964), is one of
the most beloved children’s books in the
history of Brazilian literature. The poems
are varied in their themes, but have in
common a simple timelessness and
connection to nature and the human
spirit, which bestow on them a universal
appeal. Orphaned at the age of three,
Meireles was raised by her grandmother,
who introduced her to riddles, songs
and Brazilian folk tales, in which anything
could be ‘enchanted’ or ‘bewitched’.
Immersed in that magical world, she
developed a profound sense of being
at one with the universe, animate and
inanimate creatures. This early influence,
as well as later experiences with her
own children and grandchildren can
be seen in this book, where the poems
move from sentiments of loss in “The
catch”, to tenderness in “The little white
horse”, to sprightly humour in “The
mosquito writes”, and swift-moving
scenes and splashing sounds in “Flash
flood”. Best known for her collections
of poetry, Cecília was also an educator,
and encouraged debate on literature
for children and schooling methods.
“Children should be given only the
finest”, she once said about children’s
literature. And she lived up to her words.
Press Reviews
Ou isto ou aquilo is poetry that lets
itself be caught by children, yet still
remains a bird in flight. Lucky are the
children who discover this hoard of
surprises. Whether read or listened to,
these ballerina lines are for keeps for
a child’s whole life. [Review by Carlos
When it’s this it’s not that | Cecília Meireles
Drummond de Andrade. Correio da
Manhã, page 6, July 10th, 1964]
http://memoria.bn.br/pdf/089842/
per089842_1964_21860.pdf
2. Global Editora launches Ou isto ou
aquilo by Cecília Meireles.
This iconic book in the history of
Brazilian literature for children has a
firm place in the memory of several
generations of readers. [Review by
Fernanda Faustino. Global Editora,
October 10th, 2012]
http://www.globaleditora.com.br/
noticias/global-editora-lanca-ou-istoou-aquilo-de-cecilia-meireles/
3. “Ou isto ou aquilo” is as classic
as Sunday roast. Cecília Meireles’
poems often evoke riddles, tonguetwisters, and nursery rhymes. They
are intensely musical poems, and well
worth reading aloud. [Review by
Gabriela Romeu. Folha de S. Paulo,
November 24th, 2012]
http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/
folhinha/1189565-livro-de-ceciliameireles-e-tao-classico-quantomacarronada-de-domingo.shtml
4. With a natural and simple talent,
in this book Cecília Meireles captures
an enormous assortment of authentic
language as used by adults and
children. [Review by Xandra
Stefanel. Revista do Brasil,
November 13th, 2012.]
http://www.redebrasilatual.com.br/
revistas/77/curta-essa-dica
The author
Cecília Benevides de Carvalho Meireles
• Pen name: Cecília Meireles
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• Other books:
Poetry
Espectros (1919)
Nunca mais… e Poema dos Poemas (1923)
Baladas para El-Rei (1925)
Viagem (1939)
Vaga música (1942)
Mar absoluto e outros poemas (1945)
Retrato natural (1949)
Amor em Leonoreta (1951)
Doze noturnos de Holanda & O
aeronauta (1952)
Romanceiro da Inconfidência (1953)
Poemas escritos na Índia (1953)
Pequeno Oratório de Santa Clara (1955)
Canções (1956)
Romance de Santa Cecília (1957)
A Rosa (1957)
Obra poética (1958)
Metal Rosicler (1960)
Antologia Poética (1963)
Solombra (1963)
Poemas italianos (1968)
O estudante empírico (1974)
Morena, pena de amor (1976)
Cânticos (1983)
Literature for children
and young adults
Criança, meu amor (1924)
A festa das letras (1937)
Giroflé, Giroflá (1956)
Ou isto ou aquilo (1964)
Olhinhos de Gato (1980)
When it’s this it’s not that | Cecília Meireles
Essays and Chronicles
Batuque, samba e macumba (1944)
Problemas da literatura infantil (1951)
Escolha o seu sonho (1964)
O que se diz e o que se entende (1980)
Janela mágica (1983)
Crônicas de viagem (1998)
Crônicas de educação (2001)
• Author’s webpage:
http://www.globaleditora.
com.br/autores/busca-deautores/?AutorID=1007
The translators
Sarah Rebecca Kersley and Telma
Franco Diniz
Sarah Rebecca Kersley is a British
translator and writer based in Brazil.
Her work has appeared in journals and
reviews in Brazil and the USA, including
Publication rights
Dr. Alexandre Carlos Teixeira
Solombra - Agência Literária
Rua Smith de Vasconcelos, 30
Cosme Velho - CEP 22241-160
Rio de Janeiro /RJ
Phone number: +55 21 2557-4284
http://www.solombrabooks.com/
[email protected]
[email protected]
translations of Brazilian poetry by Mario
Quintana, Sergio Capparelli, Carlito
Azevedo, among others. In her adopted
Brazilian hometown of Itacaré, Bahia,
she created the town’s only bookshop
and literary space, which throughout its
four years of existence hosted regular
events showcasing Brazilian poetry and
literary fiction for the local community
and international visitors.
Telma Franco Diniz was born in
Ituiutaba, Minas Gerais. She currently
lives in São Paulo where she works as
a translator and co-edits the literary
translation journal “Cadernos de
Literatura em Tradução”. She received
a Master’s in Translation Studies
from the Federal University of Santa
Catarina with a dissertation on some
of her annotated translations of Cecília
Meireles’ children’s poems into English.