This collection by Pessoa is striking for its use of four distinct poetic voices, each written under a different pseudonym – Alberto Caeiro, Ricardo Reis, Álvaro de Campos, and Fernando Pessoa himself—so distinct they feel like separate authors. The poems range from long, almost prose-like pieces to brief, distilled reflections, yet all circle around similar themes: life, nature, and the divine. There is a quiet, contemplative tone throughout, a sense of calm attention to the beauty of existence in its simplest forms. Very meditative.
“I don’t bother with rhymes. It is seldom
That there are two trees equal, side by side.
I think and write as the flowers have colour
But with less perfection in my way of expressing myself
Because I lack the divine simplicity
Of being all only my outside.”
This selection covers poetry written by Pessoa under four names, each with its own associated persona and style.
Originally written in Portuguese, this selection is taken from Selected Poems, translated and introduced by Jonathan Griffin for Penguin Books in 1974, supplemented in 1982 and published in Penguin Modern Classics in 2000.