Portugal

Photo from http://www.electriccereal.com/

Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935) a portuguese poet described as one of the greatest poets in the portuguese language, was a prolific writer, and not only under his own name, for he dreamed up approximately seventy-five others.

Enjoy one of his famous poems Mar Português (Portuguese Sea) from the book Mensagem - 1934 (Message)

O sea of salt, how much of all your salt
Contains the tears of Portugal?
So we might sail, how many mothers wept,
How many sons have prayed in vain!
How many girls betrothed reamined unwed
That we might posses you, Sea!

Was it worth the effort? Anything 's worth it
if the soul's not petty.
If you'd sail beyond the cape
Sail you must past cares, past grief.
God gave perils to the sea and sheer depth,
But mirrored heaven there.

Ó mar salgado, quanto do teu sal
São lágrimas de Portugal!
Por te cruzarmos, quantas mães choraram,
Quantos filhos em vão rezaram!
Quantas noivas ficaram por casar
Para que fosses nosso, ó mar!

Valeu a pena? Tudo vale a pena
Se a alma não é pequena.
Quem quer passar além do Bojador
Tem que passar além da dor.
Deus ao mar o perigo e o abismo deu,
Mas nele é que espelhou o céu.