Scott Edward Anderson's Poetry Blog

This Thursday marks the 50^th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution, whereby the people of Portugal overthrew the dictatorship under which they had lived for forty-eight years. I have previously shared my translation of Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen’s poem of the revolution, “25 de Abril” (“25^th of April”). Sophia was born in Porto in 1919, she died in 2004 at the age of 84 and is now buried in the National Pantheon in Lisbon, an honor recognizing her as one of Portugal’s greatest poets.

Her work often explored themes of nature, particularly the power and mystery of the sea. Indeed, she can be considered a poet of the sea. One poem that encapsulates her maritime inspiration is “Descobrimento” (“Discovery”). In “Discovery,” Andresen paints a vivid, almost surreal portrait of the ocean through metaphor and visceral imagery. She writes of “An ocean of green muscles/ An idol with as many arms as an octopus/ Incorruptible chaos that erupts/ And orderly turmoil…” [my translation]. This strange yet mesmerizing depiction captures the paradoxical nature of the sea — its turbulent, ungovernable force coexisting with an inherent rhythm and pattern.

The sea represented many things for Andresen beyond its literal presence. As a dedicated Hellenist, she found inspiration in ancient Greek mythology and often blurred the lines between the Atlantic Ocean of her Portuguese homeland and the Mediterranean. The sea became a symbol of renewal, eternity, and the mysteries of life and death.

Her reverence for the ocean likely stemmed from her childhood spent along the coast in Porto, watching the ebb and flow of the tides. The poem evokes her early, formative experiences at Praia de Granja, a beach south of Porto that shaped her poetic vision.

In “Discovery,” Andresen seems to be urging the reader to explore the depths of the ocean and surrender to its “incorruptible chaos.” The sea is both menacing with its crashing waves and comforting in its ceaseless cadence. By wading into those waters, perhaps we can access greater truths about ourselves and the world around us.

With her luminous language and profound naturalism, Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen invites the reader to discover the ocean anew through her transcendent poetry. “Discovery” reminds us that the seas contain not just thrilling adventures and discoveries, but insights into the very essence of our existence.

Here is my translation of Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen’s “Descobrimento”:

Discovery

An ocean of green muscles

An idol with as many arms as an octopus

Incorruptible chaos that erupts

And orderly turmoil

Dancer twisted up

Around the outstretched ships

We cross rows of horses

Who shake their manes at the trade winds

The sea suddenly became too young and too old

To show the beaches

And a people

Of newly created men still clay-colored

Still naked, still dazzled

—

Here is the poem in its original Portuguese:

Descobrimento

Um oceano de músculos verdes

Um ídolo de muitos braços como um polvo

Caos incorruptível que irrompe

E tumulto ordenado

Bailarino contorcido

Em redor dos navios esticados

Atravessamos fileiras de cavalos

Que sacudiam as crinas nos alísios

O mar tornou-se de repente muito novo e muito antigo

Para mostrar as praias

E um povo

De homens recém-criados ainda cor de barro

Ainda nus ainda deslumbrados

–Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen

From Obra Poética III, published by Caminho, Lisboa

To hear Sophia read her poems in 1985: https://www.loc.gov/item/93842563/

My translations of Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, along with several other Portuguese poets, appear in my book Wine-Dark Sea: New & Selected Poems & Translations (Shanti Arts, 2022), available through this link or wherever you buy books.