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: Două poeme despre ce gândesc câinii (probabil)

Filmed:
1,748,151 views

Ce gândesc oare câinii noştri când ne privesc? Poetul Billy Collins îşi imaginează vieţile din sinea a doi câini diferiţi. E un fermecător talk scurt, perfect pentru o pauză şi pentru visare...
- 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 noticeda observat,
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Nu ştiu dacă aţi observat
00:14
but there's been a spateVal of bookscărți
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că în ultimul timp
00:16
that have come out latelyîn ultimul timp
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a apărut un val de cărţi
00:17
contemplatingcontemplând or speculatingspeculaţii
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cu presupuneri despre câini, cu referire la
00:20
on the cognitioncunoaștere and emotionalemoţional life of dogscâini.
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capacitatea lor cognitivă şi emoţională.
00:24
Do they think, do they feel and, if so, how?
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Câinii gândesc, simt?
Şi dacă da, cum?
00:27
So this afternoondupa amiaza, in my limitedlimitat time,
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În această după-amiază,
presat de timp,
00:29
I wanted to take the guessworkpresupunerile out of a lot of that
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vreau să elimin presupunerile din cărţi,
00:31
by introducingIntroducand you to two dogscâini,
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prezentându-vă doi câini,
00:34
bothambii of whompe cine have takenluate the commandcomanda "speakvorbi"
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care ambii iau comanda "vorbeşte"
00:39
quitedestul de literallyliteralmente.
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la propriu.
00:43
The first dogcâine is the first to go,
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Primul câine prezentat
00:46
and he is contemplatingcontemplând an aspectaspect
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contemplează la aspectele
00:50
of his relationshiprelaţie to his ownerproprietar,
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relaţiei lui cu stăpânul.
00:52
and the titletitlu is "A DogCâine on His MasterMaster."
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Titlul poemului e "A Dog on His Master"
(,,Un câine despre stăpânul său")
00:57
"As youngtineri as I look,
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,,Aşa tânăr cum par,
00:59
I am growingcreştere oldermai batran fastermai repede than he.
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îmbătrânesc mai repede decât el.
01:02
SevenŞapte to one is the ratioraportul, they tendtind to say.
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7:1 zic ei că e raportul.
01:06
WhateverOricare ar fi the numbernumăr, I will passtrece him one day
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Oricare ar fi raportul,
o să i-o iau înainte
01:09
and take the leadconduce,
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şi-o să preiau conducerea,
01:11
the way I do on our walksplimbări in the woodspădure,
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cum fac în plimbările noastre
prin pădure,
01:14
and if this ever managesgestionează to crosscruce his mindminte,
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şi dacă-i trece asta prin cap,
01:18
it would be the sweetestmai dulce shadowumbra
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ar fi cea mai frumoasă umbră
01:20
I have ever castarunca on snowzăpadă or grassiarbă."
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pe care-aş lăsa-o pe zăpadă
sau pe iarbă."
01:25
(ApplauseAplauze)
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(Aplauze)
01:28
Thank you.
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Vă mulţumesc.
01:31
And our nextUrmător → dogcâine
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Următorul câine
01:34
speaksvorbește in something calleddenumit the revenantRevenant,
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vorbeşte limba mustrărilor,
01:37
whichcare meansmijloace a spiritspirit that comesvine back
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adică a unui spirit reîntors
01:39
to visitvizita you.
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să te viziteze.
01:43
"I am the dogcâine you put to sleepdormi,
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,, Eu sunt câinele
pe care l-ai eutanasiat,
01:47
as you like to call the needleac of oblivionuitare,
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cum îţi place să numeşti
acul uitării,
01:50
come back to tell you this simplesimplu thing:
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am venit să-ţi spun ceva:
01:53
I never likedplăcut you."
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Nu te-am plăcut niciodată."
01:55
(LaughterRâs)
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(Râsete)
01:57
"When I lickedlins your facefață,
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,,Când te lingeam pe faţă
01:59
I thought of bitingmusca off your nosenas.
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mă gândeam să te las fără nas.
02:02
When I watchedvizionat you towelingprosoape yourselftu dryuscat,
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Când mă uitam cum te ştergi
cu prosopul,
02:05
I wanted to leapsalt and unmanunman you with a snapagrafă.
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vroiam să te castrez dintr-un salt.
02:09
I resentednemulţumiţi the way you movedmutat,
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Îmi displăcea modul
în care păşeai,
02:11
your lacklipsă of animalanimal graceharul,
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fără graţia animală,
02:13
the way you would sitsta in a chairscaun to eatmânca,
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modul în care stăteai pe scaun
ca să mănânci,
02:16
a napkinservetel on your lappoală, a knifecuţit in your handmână.
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cu şervetul din poală
şi cuţitul în mână.
02:20
I would have runalerga away
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Aş fi fugit
02:22
but I was too weakslab,
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dar n-am avut tăria.
02:23
a tricktruc you taughtînvățat me
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M-ai învăţat un truc
02:25
while I was learningînvăţare to sitsta and heeltoc
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să şed şi să merg la pas
02:28
and, greatestcea mai mare of insultsinsulte,
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şi, cea mai mare insultă:
02:30
shakescutura handsmâini withoutfără a handmână.
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să dau mâna fără să am una.
02:34
I admitadmite the sightvedere of the leashlesa would exciteexcita me,
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Recunosc că vederea lesei mă bucura,
02:38
but only because it meanta însemnat I was about to smellmiros things
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dar numai pentru faptul că
urma să miros lucruri
02:41
you had never touchedatins.
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pe care tu nu le-ai atins niciodată.
02:46
You do not want to believe this,
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Nu vrei să crezi asta,
02:47
but I have no reasonmotiv to lieminciună:
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dar n-am motive să mint:
02:50
I hatedurât the carmașină, hatedurât the rubbercauciuc toysjucarii,
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uram maşina,
jucăriile de cauciuc,
02:54
dislikeddisliked your friendsprieteni, and worsemai rau, your relativesrudele.
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pe prietenii tăi şi, mai rău,
pe rudele tale.
02:59
The jinglingJingling of my tagsTag-uri drovea condus me madnebun.
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Clinchetul zorzoanelor ce mi le-ai pus
mă scotea din minţi.
03:03
You always scratchedzgâriat me in the wronggresit placeloc."
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Niciodată nu mă scărpinai unde-mi plăcea."
03:06
(LaughterRâs)
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(Râsete)
03:08
"All I ever wanted from you was foodalimente and waterapă
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,,Tot ce-am vrut de la tine a fost mâncare
03:11
in my bowlsboluri.
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şi apă în bol.
03:13
While you sleptdormit, I watchedvizionat you breathea respira
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Când dormeai priveam cum respiri
03:15
as the moonlună roseTrandafir in the skycer.
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iar luna se ridica pe cer.
03:17
It tooka luat all of my strengthputere
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Mi-am adunat toate forţele
03:19
not to raisea ridica my headcap and howlurla.
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ca să nu încep să urlu.
03:22
Now, I am freegratuit of the collarguler,
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Acum nu mai am zgardă,
03:24
freegratuit of the yellowgalben raincoatpelerina de ploaie,
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nici pelerină galbenă,
03:27
monogrammedmonogramă sweaterpulover,
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pulover cu monogramă,
03:29
the absurdityabsurditate of your lawngazon,
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sau absurdul tău gazon,
03:32
and that is all you need to know about this placeloc,
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şi asta-i tot ce trebuie să ştii despre locul ăsta,
03:35
exceptcu exceptia what you alreadydeja supposedpresupus
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mai puţin ce presupuneai deja
03:38
and are gladbucuros it did not happenîntâmpla soonermai curând,
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şi eşti fericit că nu s-a întâmplat mai devreme,
03:40
that everyonetoata lumea here can readcitit and writescrie,
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că toţi de aici ştim să citim şi să scriem:
03:43
the dogscâini in poetrypoezie,
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câinii în rime,
03:47
the catspisici and all the othersalții
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iar pisicile şi restul
03:50
in proseproză."
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în proză."
03:52
Thank you.
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Vă mulţumesc.
03:54
(ApplauseAplauze)
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(Aplauze)
Translated by Delia Bogdan
Reviewed by Laszlo Kereszturi

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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