Chico Buarque: Biography and Poems | Brazilian Poetry

Chico Buarque Brazilian Poet

Biography.

Francisco Buarque de Hollanda (born 1944), popularly known simply as Chico Buarque, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer, playwright, writer, and poet. He is best known for his music, which often includes social, economic, and cultural reflections on Brazil.

Rita

Rita has stolen my smile
And in her smile
Are my words
She has taken with her
What was mine from the start
Ripped off my heart
And there´s more:
She took all her photos, her linen, her bags
What a mess!
A statue of Saint Francis
And a great album of jazz

Rita has killed our love
Out of spite
And left nothing behind
Didn´t carry my cash
For I have none of that
But crashed my soul to pieces
Made fun of my hopes
Laughed at my love
Ruined all the years
That were young
To top it all
Made my guitar
Go deaf and dumb

Young lovers

Why such a rush?
Now it´s too soon
Love has no time
It can wait a while
Quietly
By itself, all alone
At the closet behind,
For ages and ages to come

Then out of the hush
Under the blue
Waves have dragged all the lights
And divers will come every night
To your house and your room,
Reading signs on your bed,
Long lost words in the doom

Wise men will try
To decode what they´ll find
Old letters, pictures and poems
Love lies resting over your desk
Traces lost in the past
Memories forsaken under the moon

Why such a rush?
Now it´s too soon
Love never dies
And will always be new
In the future
Young lovers will too
Live the old story
I´ve written to you

Don´t take me

Don´t you take it wrong
Take me hand in hand, one last time
For a drink, to see the sky
To the docks, by moonlight

That old heart of mine, that heart of mine
That heart of mine feels broken, but don´t
Don´t make it bad
When the summer´s through
So will be my love
For you

Say you won´t jump off the cliff, and don´t rip my head
Off your photo book
Don´t drink that much beer, don´t forget about me
In a click,
See, I tip toed into your life,
Made you trip and then you cried
So now it´s time to lightly leave
I know that your road without me
Will be amazing
But please don´t take me

Don´t you take it wrong,
Take me by the hand, around the city
To the lake, or graveyard
To a beach or a park
Translated by Rita Cammarota