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  3. Poetry & Literature

E descansar a conhecer

English translation: And calm down to understand

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Portuguese term or phrase:E descansar a conhecer
English translation:And calm down to understand
Entered by: Oliver Simões

19:56 Jan 31, 2019
Portuguese to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / Fernando Pessoa
Portuguese term or phrase: E descansar a conhecer
I'm having trouble understanding what Pessoa means by this line. Any help is much appreciated.

Bem sei que estou endoidecendo.
Bem sei que falha em mim quem sou.
Sim, mas, enquanto me não rendo,
Quero saber por onde vou.

Inda que vá para render-me
Ao que o Destino me faz ser,
Quero, um momento, aqui deter-me
E descansar a conhecer.

Há grandes lapsos de memória
Grandes paralelas perdidas,
E muita lenda e muita história
E muitas vidas, muitas vidas.

Tudo isso; agora me perco
De mim e vou a transviar,
Quero chamar a mim, e cerco
Meu ser de tudo relembrar.

Porque, se vou ser louco, quero
Ser louco com moral e siso.
Vou tanger lira como Nero.*
Mas o incêndio não é preciso.
-- Fernando Pessoa

* Nero foi o último imperador romano da dinastia julio-claudiana. Ele foi adotado por seu tio-avô Cláudio e se tornou o herdeiro e sucessor de Cláudio. Relatos históricos sugerem que ele foi responsável pelo Grande Incêndio de Roma, que irrompeu na noite de 18 de julho a 19 de julho, 64 dC. Estes relatos dão várias razões para o suposto incêndio de Nero, como a inveja de Nero do rei Príamo e uma certa antipatia pela construção antiga da cidade. Suetônio escreveu que Nero iniciou o incêndio porque queria o espaço para construir sua Casa Dourada (Domus Aurea em latim). Tácito foi a única fonte sobrevivente que não culpou Nero por iniciar o fogo; ele disse que estava "inseguro". Suetônio e Cássio Dio alegaram que Nero cantava o Saque de Troia enquanto a cidade ardia. A lenda popular de que Nero tocava o violino enquanto Roma queimava "é pelo menos parcialmente uma construção literária da propaganda flaviana. [...] que desconfiava da abortada tentativa neroniana de reescrever os modelos de governo de César Augusto." – Wikipedia (TN)
Oliver Simões
United States
Local time: 07:39
and to rest to understand
Explanation:
E descansar a conhecer => and to rest to understand
Selected response from:

airmailrpl
Brazil
Local time: 11:39
Grading comment
Thank you, airmailrpl. I used your answer in part.

descansar: tranquilizar(-se); calm down - https://dicionario.priberam.org/descansar

2 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +1and to rest to understand
airmailrpl
4 +1and to learn what rest is
Katarina Peters
4And take a break to know me
Uvierode Woglo
3And stop to think of myself
Clauwolf
3And to rest while acquiring knowledge
Mario Freitas


  

Answers


10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
And stop to think of myself


Explanation:
:)

Clauwolf
Local time: 11:39
Does not meet criteria
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 23
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
and to rest to understand


Explanation:
E descansar a conhecer => and to rest to understand

airmailrpl
Brazil
Local time: 11:39
Meets criteria
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 68
Grading comment
Thank you, airmailrpl. I used your answer in part.

descansar: tranquilizar(-se); calm down - https://dicionario.priberam.org/descansar

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Lara Barnett: Exactly what I was going to put - until I saw this (possibly "understand myself") ? / "understand" is more lyrical and holistic than some of the other options.
14 hrs
  -> agradeço
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
And take a break to know me


Explanation:
I want to stop here for a while
And take a break to know me

Uvierode Woglo
Brazil
Local time: 11:39
Meets criteria
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
And to rest while acquiring knowledge


Explanation:
Sugestão

Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 11:39
Meets criteria
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 38
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
and to learn what rest is


Explanation:
in other words, he means "deter-me e conhecer o descanso"
(he is using the language of the era...64dC?)

Katarina Peters
Canada
Local time: 10:39
Meets criteria
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in HungarianHungarian, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 76

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Marian Vieyra
1 day 9 hrs
  -> Thank you Marian, glad you understood it too!
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