Friday, 25 April 2014

"Manifestatis Probatum" by Pope Alexander III (in Portuguese)



     "Alexandre, Bispo, Servo dos Servos de Deus, ao Caríssimo filho em Cristo, Afonso, Ilustre Rei dos Portugueses, e a seus herdeiros, in 'perpetuum'. Está claramente demonstrado que, como bom filho e príncipe católico, prestaste inumeráveis serviços a tua mãe, a Santa Igreja, exterminando intrepidamente em porfiados trabalhos e proezas militares os inimigos do nome cristão e propagando diligentemente a fé cristã, assim deixaste aos vindouros nome digno de memória e exemplo merecedor de imitação. Deve a Sé Apostólica amar com sincero afecto e procurar atender eficazmente, em suas justas súplicas, os que a Providência divina escolheu para governo e salvação do povo. Por isso, Nós, atendemos às qualidades de prudência, justiça e idoneidade de governo que ilustram a tua pessoa, tomamo-la sob a proteção de São Pedro e nossa, e concedemos e confirmamos por autoridade apostólica ao teu excelso domínio o reino de Portugal com inteiras honras de reino e a dignidade que aos reis pertence, bem como todos os lugares que com o auxílio da graça celeste conquistaste das mãos dos Sarracenos e nos quais não podem reivindicar direitos os vizinhos príncipes cristãos. E para que mais te fervores em devoção e serviço ao príncipe dos apóstolos S. Pedro e à Santa Igreja de Roma, decidimos fazer a mesma concessão a teus herdeiros e, com a ajuda de Deus, prometemos defender-lha, quanto caiba em nosso apóstolico magistério."

Thursday, 24 April 2014

Sonnet X by William Shakespeare (in English)



For shame deny that thou bear'st love to any,
Who for thy self art so unprovident.
Grant, if thou wilt, thou art beloved of many,
But that thou none lov'st is most evident:
For thou art so possessed with murderous hate,
That 'gainst thy self thou stick'st not to conspire,
Seeking that beauteous roof to ruinate
Which to repair should be thy chief desire.
O! change thy thought, that I may change my mind:
Shall hate be fairer lodged than gentle love?
Be, as thy presence is, gracious and kind,
Or to thyself at least kind-hearted prove:
   Make thee another self for love of me,
   That beauty still may live in thine or thee.

Wednesday, 23 April 2014

"Job" by Raimundo Correia (in English)



Quem vai passando, sinta
Nojo embora, ali pára. Ao princípio era um só;
Depois dez, vinte, trinta
Mulheres e homens... tudo a contemplar o Job.

Qual fixa boquiaberto;
Qual à distância vê; qual se aproxima altivo,
Para olhar mais de perto
Esse pântano humano, esse monturo vivo.

Grossa turba o rodeia...
E o que mais horroriza é vê-lo a mendigar,
E ninguém ter a idéia
De um só vintém às mãos roídas lhe atirar!

Não! Nem ver que a indigência
Em pasto o muda já de vermes; e lhe impera,
Na imunda florescência
Do corpo, a podridão em plena primavera;

Nem ver sobre ele, em bando,
Os moscardos cruéis de ríspidos ferrões,
Incômodos, cantando
A música feral das decomposições;

Nem ver que, entre os destroços
De seus membros, a Morte, em blasfêmias e pragas,
Descarnando-lhe os ossos,
Os dentes mostra a rir, pelas bocas das chagas;

Nem ver que só o escasso
Roto andrajo, onde a lepra horrível que lhe prui
Mal se encobre, e o pedaço
De telha, com que a raspa, o mísero possui;

Nem do vento às rajadas
Ver-lhe os farrapos vis da roupa flutuante,
Voando—desfraldadas
Bandeiras da miséria imensa e triunfante!

Nem ver... Job agoniza!
Embora; isso não é o que horroriza mais.
—O que mais horroriza
São a falsa piedade, os fementidos ais;

São os consolos fúteis
Da turba que o rodeia, e as palavras fingidas,
Mais baixas, mais inúteis
Do que a língua dos cães, lambendo-lhe as feridas;

Da turba que se, odienta,
Com a pata brutal do seu orgulho vão
Não nos magoa, inventa,
Para nos magoar, a sua compaixão!

Se há, entre a luz e a treva,
Um termo médio, e em tudo há um ponto mediano,
É triste que não deva
Haver isso também no coração humano!

Porque n'alma não há de
Um meio termo haver dessa gente também,
Entre a inveja e a piedade?
Pois tem piedade só, quando inveja não tem!

Tuesday, 22 April 2014

"The Hunting Of The Snark an Agony in Eight Fits" by Lewis Carroll (Fit the Fifth) (in English)



                      Fit the Fifth

                   THE BEAVER'S LESSON

     They sought it with thimbles, they sought it with care;
          They pursued it with forks and hope;
     They threatened its life with a railway-share;
          They charmed it with smiles and soap.

     Then the Butcher contrived an ingenious plan
          For making a separate sally;
     And had fixed on a spot unfrequented by man,
          A dismal and desolate valley.

     But the very same plan to the Beaver occurred:
          It had chosen the very same place:
     Yet neither betrayed, by a sign or a word,
          The disgust that appeared in his face.

     Each thought he was thinking of nothing but "Snark"
          And the glorious work of the day;
     And each tried to pretend that he did not remark
          That the other was going that way.

     But the valley grew narrow and narrower still,
          And the evening got darker and colder,
     Till (merely from nervousness, not from goodwill)
          They marched along shoulder to shoulder.

     Then a scream, shrill and high, rent the shuddering sky,
          And they knew that some danger was near:
     The Beaver turned pale to the tip of its tail,
          And even the Butcher felt queer.

     He thought of his childhood, left far far behind—
          That blissful and innocent state—
     The sound so exactly recalled to his mind
          A pencil that squeaks on a slate!

     "'Tis the voice of the Jubjub!" he suddenly cried.
          (This man, that they used to call "Dunce.")
     "As the Bellman would tell you," he added with pride,
          "I have uttered that sentiment once.

     "'Tis the note of the Jubjub! Keep count, I entreat;
          You will find I have told it you twice.
     'Tis the song of the Jubjub! The proof is complete,
          If only I've stated it thrice."

     The Beaver had counted with scrupulous care,
          Attending to every word:
     But it fairly lost heart, and outgrabe in despair,
          When the third repetition occurred.

     It felt that, in spite of all possible pains,
          It had somehow contrived to lose count,
     And the only thing now was to rack its poor brains
          By reckoning up the amount.

     "Two added to one—if that could but be done,"
          It said, "with one's fingers and thumbs!"
     Recollecting with tears how, in earlier years,
          It had taken no pains with its sums.

     "The thing can be done," said the Butcher, "I think.
          The thing must be done, I am sure.
     The thing shall be done!  Bring me paper and ink,
          The best there is time to procure."

     The Beaver brought paper, portfolio, pens,
          And ink in unfailing supplies:
     While strange creepy creatures came out of their dens,
          And watched them with wondering eyes.

     So engrossed was the Butcher, he heeded them not,
          As he wrote with a pen in each hand,
     And explained all the while in a popular style
          Which the Beaver could well understand.

     "Taking Three as the subject to reason about—
          A convenient number to state—
     We add Seven, and Ten, and then multiply out
          By One Thousand diminished by Eight.

     "The result we proceed to divide, as you see,
          By Nine Hundred and Ninety Two:
     Then subtract Seventeen, and the answer must be
          Exactly and perfectly true.

     "The method employed I would gladly explain,
          While I have it so clear in my head,
     If I had but the time and you had but the brain—
          But much yet remains to be said.

     "In one moment I've seen what has hitherto been
          Enveloped in absolute mystery,
     And without extra charge I will give you at large
          A Lesson in Natural History."

     In his genial way he proceeded to say
          (Forgetting all laws of propriety,
     And that giving instruction, without introduction,
          Would have caused quite a thrill in Society),

     "As to temper the Jubjub's a desperate bird,
          Since it lives in perpetual passion:
     Its taste in costume is entirely absurd—
          It is ages ahead of the fashion:

     "But it knows any friend it has met once before:
          It never will look at a bribe:
     And in charity-meetings it stands at the door,
          And collects—though it does not subscribe.

     "Its' flavour when cooked is more exquisite far
          Than mutton, or oysters, or eggs:
     (Some think it keeps best in an ivory jar,
          And some, in mahogany kegs:)

     "You boil it in sawdust: you salt it in glue:
          You condense it with locusts and tape:
     Still keeping one principal object in view—
          To preserve its symmetrical shape."

     The Butcher would gladly have talked till next day,
          But he felt that the lesson must end,
     And he wept with delight in attempting to say
          He considered the Beaver his friend.

     While the Beaver confessed, with affectionate looks
          More eloquent even than tears,
     It had learned in ten minutes far more than all books
          Would have taught it in seventy years.

     They returned hand-in-hand, and the Bellman, unmanned
          (For a moment) with noble emotion,
     Said "This amply repays all the wearisome days
          We have spent on the billowy ocean!"

     Such friends, as the Beaver and Butcher became,
          Have seldom if ever been known;
     In winter or summer, 'twas always the same—
          You could never meet either alone.

     And when quarrels arose—as one frequently finds
          Quarrels will, spite of every endeavour—
     The song of the Jubjub recurred to their minds,
          And cemented their friendship for ever!

Sunday, 20 April 2014

The Resurection According to St. Matthew (in English)



Chapter 28

1 After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. 3 His appearance was like lightning and his clothing was white as snow. 4 The guards were shaken with fear of him and became like dead men. 5 Then the angel said to the women in reply, "Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.' Behold, I have told you." 8 Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce 5 this to his disciples.

9 And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me."

11 While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened. 12 They assembled with the elders and took counsel; then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.' 14 And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy (him) and keep you out of trouble." 15 The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present (day).

16 The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. 18 Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go, therefore, 12 and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."


Saturday, 19 April 2014

"12 Angry Men" by Reginald Rose (in English)



Juror #8: I just want to talk.

Juror #7: Well, what's there to talk about? Eleven men in here think he's guilty. No one had to think about it twice except you.

Juror #10: I want to to ask you something: do you believe his story?

Juror #8: I don't know whether I believe it or not - maybe I don't.

Juror #7: So how come you vote not guilty?

Juror #8: Well, there were eleven votes for guilty. It's not easy to raise my hand and send a boy off to die without talking about it first.

Juror #7: Well now, who says it's easy?

Juror #8: No one.

Juror #7: What, just because I voted fast? I honestly think the guy's guilty. Couldn't change my mind if you talked for a hundred years.

Juror #8: I'm not trying to change your mind. It's just that... we're talking about somebody's life here. We can't decide it in five minutes. Supposing we're wrong?

Juror #7: Supposing we're wrong! Supposing this whole building should fall down on my head. You can suppose anything!

Juror #8: That's right.