ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Billy Collins - Poet
A two-term U.S. Poet Laureate, Billy Collins captures readers with his understated wit, profound insight -- and a sense of being "hospitable."

Why you should listen

Accessibility is not a word often associated with great poetry. Yet Billy Collins has managed to create a legacy from what he calls being poetically “hospitable.” Preferring lyrical simplicity to abstruse intellectualism, Collins combines humility and depth of perception, undercutting light and digestible topics with dark and at times biting humor.

While Collins approaches his work with a healthy sense of self-deprecation, calling his poems “domestic” and “middle class,” John Taylor has said of Collins: “Rarely has anyone written poems that appear so transparent on the surface yet become so ambiguous, thought-provoking, or simply wise once the reader has peered into the depths.”

In 2001 he was named U.S. Poet Laureate, a title he kept until 2003. Collins lives in Somers, New York, and is an English professor at City University of New York, where he has taught for more than 40 years.

Credits for the animations in this talk:

"Budapest," "Forgetfulness" and "Some Days" -- animation by Julian Grey/Head Gear

"The Country" -- animation by Brady Baltezor/Radium

"The Dead" -- animation by Juan Delcan/Spontaneous
 

More profile about the speaker
Billy Collins | Speaker | TED.com
TED2014

Billy Collins: Two poems about what dogs think (probably)

Billy Collins: Dois Poemas sobre o que os cães pensam (provavelmente)

Filmed:
1,748,151 views

No que é que os nossos cães estão a pensar quando olham para nós? O Poeta Billy Collins imagina a vida de dois companheiros bem diferentes. É uma pequena palestra encantadora, perfeita para se descansar e sonhar...
- Poet
A two-term U.S. Poet Laureate, Billy Collins captures readers with his understated wit, profound insight -- and a sense of being "hospitable." Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:13
I don't know if you've noticednotado,
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Eu não sei se vocês repararam,
00:14
but there's been a spateonda of bookslivros
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mas está a haver uma série de livros
00:16
that have come out latelyrecentemente
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publicados recentemente
00:17
contemplatingcontemplando or speculatingespeculando
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contemplando ou especulando
00:20
on the cognitionconhecimento and emotionalemocional life of dogscães.
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sobre a vida cognitiva e emocional dos cães.
00:24
Do they think, do they feel and, if so, how?
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Eles pensam, eles sentem e, se sim, como?
00:27
So this afternoontarde, in my limitedlimitado time,
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Então nesta tarde, no meu tempo limitado,
00:29
I wanted to take the guessworkadivinhação out of a lot of that
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eu quis fazer as suposições de algumas
dessas especulações
00:31
by introducingintroduzindo you to two dogscães,
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apresentando-vos dois cães,
00:34
bothambos of whomo qual have takenocupado the commandcomando "speakfalar"
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que levaram o comando "Fala"
00:39
quitebastante literallyliteralmente.
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muito a sério.
00:43
The first dogcachorro is the first to go,
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O primeiro cão, é o primeiro a falar,
00:46
and he is contemplatingcontemplando an aspectaspecto
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e ele está a contemplar um aspecto
00:50
of his relationshiprelação to his ownerproprietário,
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do seu relacionamento com seu dono,
00:52
and the titletítulo is "A DogCão on His MasterMestre."
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e o titulo é "Um cão e o seu dono".
00:57
"As youngjovem as I look,
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"Por mais jovem que eu pareça
00:59
I am growingcrescendo olderMais velho fasterMais rápido than he.
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"Estou a envelhecer mais depressa
do que ele,
01:02
SevenSete to one is the ratiorelação, they tendtende to say.
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"Sete anos para um,
é o cálculo que eles fazem.
01:06
WhateverO que quer the numbernúmero, I will passpassar him one day
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"Qualquer que seja o número,
eu vou ultrapassá-lo num dia,
01:09
and take the leadconduzir,
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"E tomar a liderança,
01:11
the way I do on our walksanda em in the woodsfloresta,
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"Como faço nos bosques
nos nossos passeios.
01:14
and if this ever managesgerencia to crossCruz his mindmente,
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"E se isso chegar a cruzar
o seu pensamento
01:18
it would be the sweetestmais doce shadowsombra
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"Seria a mais doce sombra
01:20
I have ever castfundida on snowneve or grassgrama."
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"Já lançada por mim na neve ou na relva."
01:25
(ApplauseAplausos)
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(Aplausos)
01:28
Thank you.
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Obrigado.
01:31
And our nextPróximo dogcachorro
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E o nosso próximo cão
01:34
speaksfala in something calledchamado the revenantRevenant,
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fala sobre algo chamado o "morto vivo",
01:37
whichqual meanssignifica a spiritespírito that comesvem back
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que significa um espírito que volta
01:39
to visitVisita you.
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para te visitar.
01:43
"I am the dogcachorro you put to sleepdormir,
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"Eu sou o cão que tu colocaste a dormir
01:47
as you like to call the needleagulha of oblivionesquecimento,
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"Como gostas de chamar
à agulha do esquecimento,
01:50
come back to tell you this simplesimples thing:
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"Eu voltei para te dizer uma coisa simples:
01:53
I never likedgostei you."
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"Eu nunca gostei de ti."
01:55
(LaughterRiso)
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(Risos)
01:57
"When I lickedlambido your facecara,
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"Quando eu te lambia o rosto,
01:59
I thought of bitinga morder off your nosenariz.
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"Pensava em morder o teu nariz.
02:02
When I watchedassisti you towelingtoalha yourselfvocê mesmo dryseco,
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"Quando eu te via a secar o corpo
com uma toalha,
02:05
I wanted to leapsalto and unmanunman you with a snapsnap.
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"Eu queria pular e abater-te
com uma só dentada.
02:09
I resentedse ressentiam the way you movedse mudou,
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"Eu não gosto de como te moves,
02:11
your lackfalta of animalanimal gracegraça,
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"A falta de graça animal,
02:13
the way you would sitsentar in a chaircadeira to eatcomer,
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"A forma como te sentas na cadeira
para comer,
02:16
a napkinguardanapo on your lapcolo, a knifefaca in your handmão.
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"Um guardanapo no colo,
uma faca na mão.
02:20
I would have runcorre away
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"Eu teria fugido
02:22
but I was too weakfraco,
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"Mas fui muito fraco,
02:23
a tricktruque you taughtensinado me
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"Um truque que me ensinaste
02:25
while I was learningAprendendo to sitsentar and heelsalto
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"Enquanto eu estava a aprender
a sentar-me e a andar ao teu lado
02:28
and, greatestmaior of insultsinsultos,
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"E, o maior dos insultos,
02:30
shakemexe handsmãos withoutsem a handmão.
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"Aperto de mãos sem uma mão.
02:34
I admitAdmitem the sightvista of the leashtrela would exciteexcitar me,
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"Eu admito que a visão de uma trela
me alegrava,
02:38
but only because it meantsignificava I was about to smellcheiro things
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"Mas só porque isso significava
que eu iria cheirar coisas
02:41
you had never touchedtocou.
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"Em que nunca tocaste.
"Tu não queres acreditar nisto,
02:46
You do not want to believe this,
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02:47
but I have no reasonrazão to liementira:
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"Mas eu não tenho motivo para mentir:
02:50
I hatedodiou the carcarro, hatedodiou the rubberborracha toysbrinquedos,
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"Eu odiava o carro,
odiava os brinquedos de borracha,
02:54
dislikednão gostei your friendsamigos, and worsepior, your relativesparentes.
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"Não gostava dos teus amigos,
e menos ainda, dos teus familiares.
02:59
The jinglingtilintando of my tagsEtiquetas drovedirigiu me madlouco.
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"O tilintar das minhas plaquinhas
deixava-me louco.
03:03
You always scratchedriscado me in the wrongerrado placeLugar, colocar."
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"Tu coçavas-me sempre no lugar errado."
03:06
(LaughterRiso)
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(Risos)
03:08
"All I ever wanted from you was foodComida and wateragua
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"Tudo que eu sempre quis de ti
foi comida e água
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in my bowlstigelas.
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"Nas minhas malgas.
03:13
While you sleptdormisse, I watchedassisti you breatherespirar
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"Enquanto tu dormias,
eu observava-te a respirar
03:15
as the moonlua roserosa in the skycéu.
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"Enquanto a lua surgia no céu.
03:17
It tooktomou all of my strengthforça
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"Foram precisas todas as minhas forças
03:19
not to raiselevantar my headcabeça and howluivo.
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"Para não erguer a minha cabeça e uivar.
03:22
Now, I am freelivre of the collarcolar,
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"Agora, eu estou livre da coleira,
03:24
freelivre of the yellowamarelo raincoatcapa de chuva,
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"Livre da capa de chuva amarela,
03:27
monogrammedmonograma sweatercamisola,
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"Da camisola com monograma,
03:29
the absurdityabsurdo of your lawngramado,
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"Do absurdo do teu relvado,
03:32
and that is all you need to know about this placeLugar, colocar,
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"E isso é tudo que precisas de saber
sobre este lugar,
03:35
exceptexceto what you already supposedsuposto
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"Exceto o que já supunhas,
03:38
and are gladfeliz it did not happenacontecer soonermais cedo,
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"E está feliz por isso
não ter acontecido antes,
03:40
that everyonetodos here can readler and writeEscreva,
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"Pois toda a gente aqui
sabe ler e escrever,
03:43
the dogscães in poetrypoesia,
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"Os cães em poesia,
03:47
the catsgatos and all the othersoutras
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"Os gatos e todos os outros
03:50
in proseem prosa."
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"Em prosa."
03:52
Thank you.
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Obrigado.
03:54
(ApplauseAplausos)
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(Aplausos)
Translated by Marilia Pucci
Reviewed by Diana Martins

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Billy Collins - Poet
A two-term U.S. Poet Laureate, Billy Collins captures readers with his understated wit, profound insight -- and a sense of being "hospitable."

Why you should listen

Accessibility is not a word often associated with great poetry. Yet Billy Collins has managed to create a legacy from what he calls being poetically “hospitable.” Preferring lyrical simplicity to abstruse intellectualism, Collins combines humility and depth of perception, undercutting light and digestible topics with dark and at times biting humor.

While Collins approaches his work with a healthy sense of self-deprecation, calling his poems “domestic” and “middle class,” John Taylor has said of Collins: “Rarely has anyone written poems that appear so transparent on the surface yet become so ambiguous, thought-provoking, or simply wise once the reader has peered into the depths.”

In 2001 he was named U.S. Poet Laureate, a title he kept until 2003. Collins lives in Somers, New York, and is an English professor at City University of New York, where he has taught for more than 40 years.

Credits for the animations in this talk:

"Budapest," "Forgetfulness" and "Some Days" -- animation by Julian Grey/Head Gear

"The Country" -- animation by Brady Baltezor/Radium

"The Dead" -- animation by Juan Delcan/Spontaneous
 

More profile about the speaker
Billy Collins | Speaker | TED.com