Billy Collins: Two poems about what dogs think (probably)
Billy Collins: Dois Poemas sobre o que pensam os cachorros (provavelmente)
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.
dos cachorros.
das conjecturas a respeito disto
é a proporção, assim dizem.
um dia vou passar à frente dele
pela cabeça dele,
a agulha do esquecimento,
e te desmoralizar com uma mordida.
na cadeira e comia,
uma faca na mão.
ou ficar de pé
eu ficava alegre,
detestava os brinquedos de borracha,
e muito menos dos seus parentes.
me deixava louco.
eu reparava sua respiração
e uivar.
sobre este lugar,
podem ler e escrever,
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Billy Collins - PoetA 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
Billy Collins | Speaker | TED.com