untitled poem 4 by Fernando Pessoa

Whether I’m happy or sad?. . .
Frankly I don’t know.
What does it mean to be sad?
What is happiness good for?

I’m neither happy nor sad.
I don’t really know what I am.
I’m just one more soul that exists
And feels what God has ordained.

So then, am I happy or sad?
Thinking never ends well. . .
For me sadness means
Hardly knowing myself. . .

But that’s what happiness is. . .

translated by Richard Zenith

untitled poem 3 by Fernando Pessoa

Calm because I’m unknown,
And myself because I’m calm,
I want to fill my days
With wanting nothing from them.

For those whom wealth touches,
Gold irritates the skin.
For those on whom fame blows,
Life fogs over.

On those for whom happiness
Is their sun, night will fall.
But those who hope for nothing
Are glad for whatever comes.

translated by Richard Zenith