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Cuidei que Tinha Morrido

Ao passar pelo ribeiro,
onde às vezes me debruço
Fitou-me alguém corpo inteiro,
dobrado como um soluço
 
Pupilas negras, tão lassas,
raízes iguais às minhas
Meu amor, quando me enlaças,
porventura as adivinhas.
Meu amor, quando me enlaças.
 
Que palidez nesse rosto
sob o lençol do luar
Tal e qual quem, ao sol posto,
estivera agonizar
 
Deram-me então por conselho
tirar de mim o sentido
Mas depois vendo-me ao espelho
cuidei que tinha morrido.
Cuidei que tinha morrido.
 
Translation

I Made Sure I had died

In passing by the brook
Where I sometimes lean,
Someone glanced over my entire body,
folded like a sob
 
Black pupils so lax,
Roots the same as mine
My love, when you interlaced with me,
by chance the riddles,
My love, when you interlaced with me...
 
What pallor in that face,
Under the sheet of moonlight,
Just like he who placed at the sun
Had been anguishing
 
They gave me then for advice,
Throwing away from me my meaning.
But after seeing myself in the mirror,
I made sure that I had died.
 
Amália Rodrigues: Top 3
Comments
pihtoppihtop    Tue, 10/12/2019 - 20:56

Hello.
My first remark would be to point out that the song features some modifications to the original poem by Pedro Homem de Melo. These modifications, probably aiming at poetic effect, seem to obscure the message of the poem. Therefore it might be useful to read the original here: http://www.nicoladavid.com/obras-de-pedro-homem-de-melo/cuidei-que-tinha...

Although not a native speaker of any of the languages in question, please allow me several suggestions as to the translation:

porventura as adivinhas -> perhaps you guess them (in the sense "read them", "demystify them")
Meu amor, quando me enlaças. -> my love, when you embrace me (simply)
tirar de mim o sentido -> make sense of myself (in the sense of "try to find the meaning of myself")
Cuidei que tinha morrido -> I supposed I had died

Thank you for the translation!
Tomasz