Raymond
Carver nasceu em Oregon, Estados Unidos, em 1938, e morreu em Washington, aos
50 anos. Traduzido em mais de 20 línguas, Carver é conhecido pelo seu estilo
conciso, direto, que, em certo sentido, leva ao extremo certa tendência da
literatura norte-americana. Os três poemas abaixo foram retirados do livro Ultramarine, obra em que Carver faz
inúmeras referências ao Brasil.
Traduções: Thiago Mattos
A selva
“Eu só tenho duas mãos”,
a aeromoça, tão linda,
diz. Volta pelo
corredor segurando a bandeja,
pra sempre fora da sua vida,
ele pensa. À esquerda,
longe lá embaixo, as luzes
de um vilarejo encravado
em uma montanha na selva.
Tantas coisas impossíveis
aconteceram,
ele não está surpreso quando ela
volta e senta
no lugar vazio do lado dele.
“Você desce
no Rio, ou vai pra Buenos Aires?”
De novo ela mostra
aquelas mãos lindas.
Os pesados anéis de prata que contornam
os dedos, a pulseira dourada
envolvendo o pulso.
Estão em algum lugar no céu
em cima de Mato Grosso.
É muito tarde.
Ele continua a pensar naquelas mãos.
Olhando seus dedos apertados.
Muitos meses se passaram, e
ainda é difícil falar disso.
Nyquil
Pode chamar isso de disciplina de ferro. Mas durante meses
não bebi um gole
antes das onze da noite. Nada mal,
pensando bem. Era a primeira
fase. Eu conhecia um cara
que preferia acima de tudo Listerine.
Tinha acabado de sair do whisky.
Comprou caixas de Listerine,
e bebia todas elas. O banco de trás
do carro era abarrotado de cadáveres.
Aquelas garrafas vazias de Listerine
brilhando no banco de trás escaldante!
Depois de ver isso, voltei pra casa pensando sobre mim mesmo.
Já tinha feito isso uma ou duas vezes. Como todo mundo.
Mergulhar até o fundo de si e abrir os olhos.
Fiquei horas assim, mas
não encontrei ninguém, não vi nada
de interessante. Voltei pro aqui e agora,
e calcei os chinelos. Me servi
um belo copo de NyQuil.
Arrastei uma cadeira até a janela.
Onde vi uma pálida lua se debatendo pra subir
acima de Cupertino, Califórnia.
Esperei durante horas de escuridão com NyQuil.
E aí, meu jesus! o primeiro clarão de luz.
O minueto
Manhãs brilhantes.
Dias em que quero tanto não querer nada.
Só esta vida, mais nada. Quieto,
espero que ninguém venha.
Mas se alguém vier, espero que seja ela.
Aquela das estrelinhas de diamante
na ponta dos sapatos.
A garota que vi dançando o minueto.
Essa dança antiga.
O minueto. Ela dançava
como devia ser dançado.
E como queria.
Textos-fonte :
The Jungle
"I only have two hands,"
the beautiful flight attendant
says. She continues
up the aisle with her tray and
out of his life forever,
he thinks. Off to his left,
far below, some lights
from a village high
on a hill in the jungle.
the beautiful flight attendant
says. She continues
up the aisle with her tray and
out of his life forever,
he thinks. Off to his left,
far below, some lights
from a village high
on a hill in the jungle.
So
many impossible things
have happened,
he isn't surprised when she
returns to sit in the
empty seat across from his.
"Are you getting off
in Rio, or going on to Buenos Aires?"
have happened,
he isn't surprised when she
returns to sit in the
empty seat across from his.
"Are you getting off
in Rio, or going on to Buenos Aires?"
Once
more she exposes
her beautiful hands.
The heavy silver rings that hold
her fingers, the gold bracelet
encircling her wrist.
her beautiful hands.
The heavy silver rings that hold
her fingers, the gold bracelet
encircling her wrist.
They
are somewhere in the air
over the steaming Mato Grosso.
It is very late.
He goes on considering her hands.
Looking at her clasped fingers.
It's months afterwards, and
hard to talk about.
over the steaming Mato Grosso.
It is very late.
He goes on considering her hands.
Looking at her clasped fingers.
It's months afterwards, and
hard to talk about.
NyQuil
Call
it iron discipline. But for months
I never took my first drink
before eleven P.M. Not so bad,
considering. This was in the beginning
phase of things. I knew a man
whose drink of choice was Listerine.
He was coming down off Scotch.
He bought Listerine by the case,
and drank it by the case. The back seat
of his car was piled high with dead soldiers.
Those empty bottles of Listerine
gleaming in his scalding back seat!
The sight of it sent me home soul-searching.
I did that once or twice. Everybody does.
Go way down inside and look around.
I spent hours there, but
didn't meet anyone, or see anything
of interest. I came back to the here and now,
and put on my slippers. Fixed
myself a nice glass of NyQuil.
Dragged a chair over to the window.
Where I watched a pale moon struggle to rise
over Cupertino, California.
I waited through hours of darkness with NyQuil.
And the, sweet Jesus! the first sliver
of light.
I never took my first drink
before eleven P.M. Not so bad,
considering. This was in the beginning
phase of things. I knew a man
whose drink of choice was Listerine.
He was coming down off Scotch.
He bought Listerine by the case,
and drank it by the case. The back seat
of his car was piled high with dead soldiers.
Those empty bottles of Listerine
gleaming in his scalding back seat!
The sight of it sent me home soul-searching.
I did that once or twice. Everybody does.
Go way down inside and look around.
I spent hours there, but
didn't meet anyone, or see anything
of interest. I came back to the here and now,
and put on my slippers. Fixed
myself a nice glass of NyQuil.
Dragged a chair over to the window.
Where I watched a pale moon struggle to rise
over Cupertino, California.
I waited through hours of darkness with NyQuil.
And the, sweet Jesus! the first sliver
of light.
The Minuet
Bright
mornings.
Days when I want so much I want nothing.
Just this life, and no more. Still,
I hope no one comes along.
But if someone does, I hope it’s her.
The one with the little diamond stars
at the toes of her shoes.
The girl I saw dance the minuet.
That antique dance.
The minuet. She danced that
the way it should be danced.
And the way she wanted.
Days when I want so much I want nothing.
Just this life, and no more. Still,
I hope no one comes along.
But if someone does, I hope it’s her.
The one with the little diamond stars
at the toes of her shoes.
The girl I saw dance the minuet.
That antique dance.
The minuet. She danced that
the way it should be danced.
And the way she wanted.
