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: Dos poemas sobre lo que piensan los perros (probablemente)

Filmed:
1,748,151 views

¿Qué deben estar pensando los perros cuando nos miran? El poeta Billy Collins imagina la vida interior de dos compañeros muy diferentes. Esta es una corta y encantadora charla, perfecta para tomar un descanso y soñar...
- 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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No sé si lo han notado
00:14
but there's been a spateavalancha of bookslibros
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pero ha habido
una avalancha de libros
00:16
that have come out latelyúltimamente
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publicados últimamente
00:17
contemplatingcontemplando or speculatingespeculando
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que contemplan o especulan
00:20
on the cognitioncognición and emotionalemocional life of dogsperros.
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sobre la cognición y la vida
emocional de los perros.
00:24
Do they think, do they feel and, if so, how?
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¿Piensan? ¿Sienten?
Y de ser así, ¿cómo?
00:27
So this afternoontarde, in my limitedlimitado time,
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Así que esta tarde,
en mi limitado tiempo,
00:29
I wanted to take the guessworkconjeturas out of a lot of that
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quería eliminar muchas
de esas conjeturas
00:31
by introducingintroduciendo you to two dogsperros,
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presentándoles a dos perros,
00:34
bothambos of whomquién have takentomado the commandmando "speakhablar"
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que han tomado
la orden de "hablar"
00:39
quitebastante literallyliteralmente.
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muy literalmente.
00:43
The first dogperro is the first to go,
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El primer perro es
el primero en irse,
00:46
and he is contemplatingcontemplando an aspectaspecto
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y está contemplando un aspecto
00:50
of his relationshiprelación to his ownerpropietario,
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de su relación con su dueño,
00:52
and the titletítulo is "A DogPerro on His MasterDominar."
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y el título es
"Un perro de su amo".
00:57
"As youngjoven as I look,
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"Tan joven como parezco,
00:59
I am growingcreciente oldermayor fasterMás rápido than he.
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me estoy haciendo viejo
más rápido que él.
01:02
SevenSiete to one is the ratioproporción, they tendtender to say.
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Siete a uno es la relación,
suelen decir.
01:06
WhateverLo que sea the numbernúmero, I will passpasar him one day
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Sea cual sea el número,
lo pasaré un día
01:09
and take the leaddirigir,
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y tomaré la delantera,
01:11
the way I do on our walkscamina in the woodsbosque,
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como lo hago en nuestros
paseos por el bosque,
01:14
and if this ever managesmaneja to crosscruzar his mindmente,
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y si esto alguna vez
logra cruzar su mente,
01:18
it would be the sweetestmás dulce shadowsombra
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sería la más dulce sombra
01:20
I have ever castemitir on snownieve or grasscésped."
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que haya nunca hecho
en la nieve o la hierba".
01:25
(ApplauseAplausos)
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(Aplausos)
01:28
Thank you.
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Gracias.
01:31
And our nextsiguiente dogperro
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Y nuestro siguiente perro
01:34
speakshabla in something calledllamado the revenantrevenant,
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habla de algo
llamado "El resucitado",
01:37
whichcual meansmedio a spiritespíritu that comesproviene back
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que significa
un espíritu que regresa
01:39
to visitvisitar you.
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a visitarte.
01:43
"I am the dogperro you put to sleepdormir,
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"Soy el perro
que pones a dormir,
01:47
as you like to call the needleaguja of oblivionolvido,
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como te gusta llamar
a la aguja del olvido,
01:50
come back to tell you this simplesencillo thing:
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volveré para decirte
esta sencilla cosa:
01:53
I never likedgustó you."
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nunca me gustaste".
01:55
(LaughterRisa)
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(Risas)
01:57
"When I lickedlamido your facecara,
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"Cuando lamía tu cara,
01:59
I thought of bitingmordaz off your nosenariz.
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pensaba en morderte la nariz.
02:02
When I watchedmirado you towelingtela de toalla yourselftú mismo dryseco,
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Cuando te veía
secarte con la toalla,
02:05
I wanted to leapsalto and unmanacobardar you with a snapchasquido.
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quería saltar y acobardarte
con un intento de mordisco.
02:09
I resentedresentido the way you movedmovido,
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Me molestaba la forma
en que te movías,
02:11
your lackausencia of animalanimal gracegracia,
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tu falta de gracia animal,
02:13
the way you would sitsentar in a chairsilla to eatcomer,
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la forma en la que te sentabas
en la silla para comer,
02:16
a napkinservilleta on your lapregazo, a knifecuchillo in your handmano.
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una servilleta en tu regazo,
un cuchillo en la mano.
02:20
I would have runcorrer away
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Me hubiera escapado
02:22
but I was too weakdébiles,
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pero estaba demasiado débil,
02:23
a tricktruco you taughtenseñó me
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un truco que me enseñaste
02:25
while I was learningaprendizaje to sitsentar and heeltacón
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mientras yo estaba aprendiendo
a sentarme y sanar
02:28
and, greatestmejor of insultsinsultos,
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y, el más grande de los insultos,
02:30
shakesacudir handsmanos withoutsin a handmano.
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darse la mano sin una mano.
02:34
I admitadmitir the sightvisión of the leashCorrea would exciteexcitar me,
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Admito que ver la correa
podía emocionarme,
02:38
but only because it meantsignificado I was about to smelloler things
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pero solo porque eso significaba
que estaba a punto de oler cosas
02:41
you had never touchedtocado.
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que nunca habías tocado.
02:46
You do not want to believe this,
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No vas a creer esto,
02:47
but I have no reasonrazón to liementira:
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pero no tengo
razón para mentir:
02:50
I hatedodiado the carcoche, hatedodiado the rubbercaucho toysjuguetes,
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odiaba el coche,
odiaba los juguetes de goma,
02:54
dislikeddisgustado your friendsamigos, and worsepeor, your relativesparientes.
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no me gustaban tus amigos,
y aún peor, tus familiares.
02:59
The jinglingtintineo of my tagsetiquetas drovecondujo me madenojado.
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El tintineo de mis marbetes
me volvía loco.
03:03
You always scratchedrayado me in the wrongincorrecto placelugar."
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Siempre me rascaste
en el lugar equivocado".
03:06
(LaughterRisa)
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(Risas)
03:08
"All I ever wanted from you was foodcomida and wateragua
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"Todo lo que quería de ti
era comida y agua
03:11
in my bowlsbochas.
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en mis platos.
03:13
While you sleptdormido, I watchedmirado you breatherespirar
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Mientras dormías,
te observaba respirar
03:15
as the moonLuna roseRosa in the skycielo.
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mientras la luna
brillaba en el cielo.
03:17
It tooktomó all of my strengthfuerza
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Tomó toda mi fuerza
03:19
not to raiseaumento my headcabeza and howlaullido.
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no levantar la cabeza y aullar.
03:22
Now, I am freegratis of the collarcollar,
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Ahora, estoy libre del collar,
03:24
freegratis of the yellowamarillo raincoatimpermeable,
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libre del impermeable amarillo,
03:27
monogrammedcon monograma sweatersuéter,
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del suéter con monograma,
03:29
the absurdityabsurdo of your lawncésped,
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de lo absurdo de tu césped,
03:32
and that is all you need to know about this placelugar,
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y eso es todo lo que necesitas
saber acerca de este lugar,
03:35
exceptexcepto what you alreadyya supposedsupuesto
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excepto lo que ya supones
03:38
and are gladalegre it did not happenocurrir soonercuanto antes,
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y es bueno que
no haya sucedido antes,
03:40
that everyonetodo el mundo here can readleer and writeescribir,
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que todo el mundo aquí
sabe leer y escribir,
03:43
the dogsperros in poetrypoesía,
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los perros en poesía,
03:47
the catsgatos and all the othersotros
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los gatos y todos los demás
03:50
in proseprosa."
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en prosa".
03:52
Thank you.
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Gracias.
03:54
(ApplauseAplausos)
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(Aplausos)
Translated by Mariana Vergnano
Reviewed by Ciro Gomez

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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