I share with you this poem of my own, which was selected to be part of Volume I of the Anthology of Contemporary Literature, entitled "Alma de Mar" by Chiado Books
"People with the Soul of the Sea"
Nor the storms of the wild waters of the Atlantic
Nor those of any other sea in this world
Bent the determination of the Portuguese people, daring
Nor did they overcome this deep feeling
From the turbulent and salt waters, to sea
In the name of God and a people, determined
Eager for knowledge and achievements overseas
In perfect symbiosis with the element faced
People of land and sea, of faith and longing
Impelled by the puffed-up candles of hope
Faced real monsters, beliefs and dogmas
And he anchored ships in lands that the eye cannot reach
Noble immortal people, who discovered the new world
Spices, silks and precious stones, oh fortune illusion
From among the peoples you became one people
But you got lost in black gold, shackled in the cellar
Centuries have vanished, laws and customs have changed
Legacy of expression left to a new, abandoned people
Haughty, powerful, with a dark complexion and varied accents
That despite being defeated, it was never broken
The Portuguese who jumped into the sea and embraced the world
It doesn't settle down or conform, it gets agitated
Like the force of the waves, it rises in just a second
It adapts and transforms, God permits it.
Rui Ferreira
Penafiel
Comments