A Place for Zinnias

Friday, 11 July 2014

“A meu irmão Guilherme de Castro Alves “ by Castro Alves (in English)

Na Cordilheira altíssima dos Andes

Os Chimborazos solitários, grandes

Ardem naquelas hibernais regiões.

Ruge embalde e fumega a solfatera...

É dos lábios sangrentos da cratera

Que a avalanche vacila aos furacões.

A escória rubra com os geleiros brancos

Misturados resvalam pelo francos

Dos ombros friorentos do vulcão...

...............................................................

Assim, Poeta, é tua vida imensa,

Cerca-te o gelo, a morte, a indiferença...

E são larvas lá dentro o coração.

Thursday, 10 July 2014

Untiled Poem by José Thiesen (in Portuguese)

Reconheço em ti que amo

E mais: vejo em ti

O meu dever de amar

E mais: vejo em ti

A ânsia de sentir-me amado.

...e poderei um dia fugir disso?

...e poderei um dia mudar isso?

Serei sempre aquele que persegue o Amor

E do Amor sempre foge por dele desconfiar?

Tão mal feita como os meus poemas

É a minha vida, mal feita, amada.

Tuesday, 8 July 2014

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

Juror #7: I don't know about the rest of 'em but I'm gettin' a little tired of this yakity-yack and back-and-forth, it's gettin' us nowhere. So I guess *I'll* have to break it up; I change my vote to "not guilty."

Juror #3: You *what?*

Juror #7: You heard me, I've... had enough.

Juror #3: Whaddaya mean, you've had enough? That's no answer!

Juror #7: Hey, listen, you just uh... take care of yourself, 'uh? You know?

Juror #11: He's right. That's not an answer. What kind of a man are you? You have sat here and voted "guilty" with everyone else because there are some baseball tickets burning a hole in your pocket? And now you've changed your vote because you say you're sick of all the talking here?

Juror #7: Now listen, buddy - !

Juror #11: Who tells you that you have the right like this to play with a man's life? Don't you care...

Juror #7: Now wait a minute! You can't talk like that to me - !

Juror #11: I *can* talk like that to you! If you want to vote "not guilty", then do it because you are convinced the man is not guilty, not because you've "had enough". And if you think he is guilty, then vote that way! Or don't you have the guts to do what you think is right?

Juror #7: Now listen...

Juror #11: Guilty or not guilty?

Juror #7: I told ya! Not guilty!

Juror #11: Why?

Juror #7: ...Look, I don't have tuh...

Juror #11: You *do* have to! *Say* it! *Why?*

Juror #7: Uhh... I don't, uh... think he's guilty!

[Juror #11 stares back with impatient resignation, and finally returns to his seat]