Poem
Adília Lopes
Curlpapers
We’ll never cry enoughfor having wanted to be beautiful
at all costs
I wanted to be beautiful
and I thought ringlets would be enough
to make me beautiful
I asked to have my hair done in ringlets
using a curling iron and curlpapers
they pulled my hair this way and that
I screamed
they told me that to be beautiful
you have to suffer
then my hair got all burnt
and wouldn’t grow back
I had to start going around with a wig
you have to suffer to be beautiful
but suffering doesn’t necessarily make us beautiful
suffering doesn’t imply a reward
as a logical consequence
a toothache may stir pity in our mother
who to soothe us but not knowing for what
gives us a piece of candy
but the candy makes our teeth hurt even more
the consequence of suffering
can be more suffering
the cause following the effect
the motive for suffering being one of the consequences
of the suffering
curlpapers being a consequence of the wig
© Translation: 2005, Richard Zenith
Os papelotes
Os papelotes
Nunca choraremos bastantetermos querido ser belas
à viva força
eu quis ser bela
e julguei que para ser bela
bastava usar canudos
pedi para me fazerem canudos
com um ferro de frisar e papelotes
puxaram-me muito pelos cabelos
eu gritei
disseram-me para ser bela
é preciso sofrer
depois o cabelo queimou-se
não voltou a crescer
tive de passar a andar com uma peruca
para ser bela é preciso sofrer
mas sofrer não nos faz forçosamente belas
um sofrimento não implica como consequência
uma recompensa
uma dor de dentes pode comover a nossa mãe
que para nos consolar sem saber de quê
nos dá um rebuçado
mas o rebuçado ainda nos faz doer mais os dentes
a consequência de um sofrimento
pode ser outro sofrimento
a causa é posterior ao efeito
o motivo do sofrimento é uma das consequências
do sofrimento
os papelotes são uma consequência da peruca
© 1988, Adília Lopes
From: Obra
Publisher: Mariposa Azual, Lisbon
From: Obra
Publisher: Mariposa Azual, Lisbon
Poems
Poems of Adília Lopes
Close
Curlpapers
We’ll never cry enoughfor having wanted to be beautiful
at all costs
I wanted to be beautiful
and I thought ringlets would be enough
to make me beautiful
I asked to have my hair done in ringlets
using a curling iron and curlpapers
they pulled my hair this way and that
I screamed
they told me that to be beautiful
you have to suffer
then my hair got all burnt
and wouldn’t grow back
I had to start going around with a wig
you have to suffer to be beautiful
but suffering doesn’t necessarily make us beautiful
suffering doesn’t imply a reward
as a logical consequence
a toothache may stir pity in our mother
who to soothe us but not knowing for what
gives us a piece of candy
but the candy makes our teeth hurt even more
the consequence of suffering
can be more suffering
the cause following the effect
the motive for suffering being one of the consequences
of the suffering
curlpapers being a consequence of the wig
© 2005, Richard Zenith
From: Obra
From: Obra
Curlpapers
We’ll never cry enoughfor having wanted to be beautiful
at all costs
I wanted to be beautiful
and I thought ringlets would be enough
to make me beautiful
I asked to have my hair done in ringlets
using a curling iron and curlpapers
they pulled my hair this way and that
I screamed
they told me that to be beautiful
you have to suffer
then my hair got all burnt
and wouldn’t grow back
I had to start going around with a wig
you have to suffer to be beautiful
but suffering doesn’t necessarily make us beautiful
suffering doesn’t imply a reward
as a logical consequence
a toothache may stir pity in our mother
who to soothe us but not knowing for what
gives us a piece of candy
but the candy makes our teeth hurt even more
the consequence of suffering
can be more suffering
the cause following the effect
the motive for suffering being one of the consequences
of the suffering
curlpapers being a consequence of the wig
© 2005, Richard Zenith
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