Eu dou-te uma palavra, e tu jogarás nela
I give you a word and you'll play with it,
e nela apostarás com determinação.
and you'll bet on it determinedly.
Seja a palavra «biltre».
Let us see the word «scoundrel».
Talvez penses num cesto,
Perhaps you'll think it's a basket,
açafate de ráfia, prenhe de flores e frutos.
a raffia basket, filled with fruits and flowers.
Talvez numa almofada num regaço
Perhaps a pillow laid on a lap
onde as mãos ágeis manobrando as linhas
where agile hands while working the threads
as complicadas rendas vão tecendo.
are weaving complicated lace.
Talvez num inseto de élitros metálicos
Maybe an insect with metallic wing-screens
emergindo da terra empapada de chuva.
emerging from a rain-soaked earth.
Talvez num jogo lúdico, numa esfera de vidro,
Maybe a playful game, a small spherical glass,
pequena, contra outra arremessada.
thrown against another one.
Biltre é um homem vil, infame e ordinário.
Scoundrel means a vile, crude, vulgar man.
São assim as palavras.
Words are just like this.