The Ballad of the White Horse — Page 4
In cloud of clay so cast to heaven
Em nuvem de argila assim lançada ao céu
What shape shall man discern?
Que forma há de o homem discernir?
These lords may light the mystery
Estes senhores podem iluminar o mistério
Of mastery or victory,
Do domínio ou da vitória,
And these ride high in history,
E estes cavalgam alto na história,
But these shall not return.
Mas estes não hão de regressar.
Gored on the Norman gonfalon
Trespassado no gonfalone normando
The Golden Dragon died:
O Dragão Dourado morreu:
We shall not wake with ballad strings
Não despertaremos com cordas de balada
The good time of the smaller things,
O bom tempo das coisas mais simples,
We shall not see the holy kings
Não veremos os reis sagrados
Ride down by Severn side.
Cavalgar ao longo do Severn.
Stiff, strange, and quaintly coloured
Rígida, estranha e curiosamente colorida
As the broidery of Bayeux
Como o bordado de Bayeux
The England of that dawn remains,
A Inglaterra daquela aurora permanece,
And this of Alfred and the Danes
E esta de Alfredo e dos Dinamarqueses
Seems like the tales a whole tribe feigns
Parece com os contos que toda uma tribo finge
Too English to be true.
Inglesa demais para ser verdade.
Of a good king on an island
De um bom rei numa ilha
That ruled once on a time;
Que governou numa época;
And as he walked by an apple tree
E enquanto caminhava junto a uma macieira
There came green devils out of the sea
Vieram demônios verdes do mar
With sea-plants trailing heavily
Com plantas marinhas arrastando-se pesadamente
And tracks of opal slime.
E rastros de limo opalescente.
Yet Alfred is no fairy tale;
No entanto, Alfredo não é um conto de fadas;
His days as our days ran,
Os seus dias correram como os nossos dias,
He also looked forth for an hour
Ele também olhou para fora por uma hora
On peopled plains and skies that lower,
Sobre planícies habitadas e céus que se fecham,
From those few windows in the tower
Daquelas poucas janelas na torre
That is the head of a man.
Que é a cabeça de um homem.
But who shall look from Alfred's hood
Mas quem há de olhar do capuz de Alfredo
Or breathe his breath alive?
Ou respirar o seu sopro vivo?
His century like a small dark cloud
O seu século como uma pequena nuvem escura
Drifts far; it is an eyeless crowd,
Deriva ao longe; é uma multidão sem olhos,
Where the tortured trumpets scream aloud
Onde as trompetas torturadas gritam em alta voz
And the dense arrows drive.
E as setas cerradas avançam.
Vocabulary
- Em
- In, at, or within a location or time period
- nuvem
- A visible mass of water droplets suspended in atmosphere
- de
- Of, from, or indicating possession and relationships
- argila
- Fine-grained soil material used for pottery and ceramics
- assim
- In this way, like this, or therefore consequently
- lançada
- Thrown, cast, or launched into action or motion
- ao
- To the; contraction of 'a' and 'o' articles
- céu
- The sky or heaven above the earth
- Que
- What, which, that, or used in questions
- forma
- Shape, form, or manner of appearance or existence
- há
- There is or there are in existence
- homem
- A male human being or mankind in general
- discernir
- To perceive, distinguish, or recognize something clearly
- Estes
- These plural masculine demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- senhores
- Gentlemen or lords, plural of senhor
- podem
- They are able to, can, or have capability
- iluminar
- To light up, illuminate, or brighten something
- mistério
- Something unknown, secret, or difficult to understand
- Do
- Of the; contraction of 'de' and 'o'
- domínio
- Domain, dominion, or control over territory
- ou
- Or; used to present alternative options
- da
- Of the; contraction of 'de' and 'a'
- vitória
- Victory, triumph, or successful outcome in battle
- estes
- These; plural masculine demonstrative pronoun
- cavalgam
- They ride or travel on horseback
- alto
- High, tall, or of great elevation
- na
- In the, on the; feminine contracted preposition
- história
- History, story, or account of past events
- Mas
- But, yet, or however in contrast
- não
- No or not; negation or denial
- regressar
- To return, come back, or go home
- no
- In the, on the; masculine contracted preposition
- Dragão
- Dragon; legendary creature in mythology and heraldry
- Dourado
- Golden or made of gold color
- morreu
- Died or ceased to live permanently
- Não
- No or not; negation or denial
- despertaremos
- We will awake or wake up tomorrow
- com
- With, along with, or accompanied by
- cordas
- Ropes, cords, or strings; plural of corda
- balada
- A ballad; narrative song or poem tradition
- bom
- Good, fine, or of high quality
- tempo
- Time, weather, or period duration
- das
- Of the; plural feminine contracted preposition
- coisas
- Things, objects, or matters in general
- mais
- More, greater quantity or additionally
- simples
- Simple, plain, or uncomplicated in nature
- veremos
- We will see or witness something
- os
- The; plural masculine definite article
- reis
- Kings; plural of rei or rulers
- sagrados
- Sacred, holy, or deserving reverence
- Cavalgar
- To ride a horse or travel horseback
- longo
- Long in distance or extended length
- Rígida
- Rigid, stiff, or inflexible in nature
- estranha
- Strange, odd, or unusual to perceive
- curiosamente
- Curiously, strangely, or in interesting manner
- colorida
- Colorful, bright, or vividly hued
- Como
- Like, as, or how in comparison
- bordado
- Embroidered or decorated with needlework
- Inglaterra
- England; country in the British Isles
- daquela
- Of that; feminine singular contracted preposition
- aurora
- Dawn, daybreak, or beginning of day
- permanece
- Remains, persists, or continues existing
- esta
- This; feminine singular demonstrative pronoun
- dos
- Of the; plural masculine contracted preposition
- Parece
- Seems, appears, or looks like something
- contos
- Tales, stories, or narratives; plural of conto
- que
- That, which, or used in subordinate clauses
- toda
- All, whole, or entire in feminine form
- uma
- A or one; feminine indefinite article
- tribo
- A tribe; social group of people
- finge
- Pretends, feigns, or makes false appearance
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