Translation of the song Ogdr24 – O que nós vemos das coisas são as coisas artist Fernando Pessoa

O que nós vemos das coisas são as coisas.

What we see of things are the things.

Porque veríamos nós uma coisa se houvesse outra?

Why would we see one thing if it was another?

Porque é que ver e ouvir seria iludirmo-nos

Why is it that to see and to hear would be to deceive us

Se ver e ouvir são ver e ouvir?

If to see and to hear are to see and to hear?

O essencial é saber ver,

The essential is to know to see,

Saber ver sem estar a pensar,

To know to see without being accustomed to think,

Saber ver quando se vê,

To know to see when it is seen,

E nem pensar quando se vê,

And not even to think when it is seen,

Nem ver quando se pensa.

Nor to see when it is thought up.

Mas isso (triste de nós que trazemos a alma vestida!),

But that (sad because of us that bring the dressed-up soul!),

Isso exige um estudo profundo,

That requires a profound study,

Uma aprendizagem de desaprender

A learning of unlearning

E uma sequestração na liberdade daquele convento

And a sequestration in the freedom of whatever convent

De que os poetas dizem que as estrelas são as freiras eternas

Of which the poets say that the stars are the eternal nuns

E as flores as penitentes convictas de um só dia,

And the flowers the penitent convicted of only one day,

Mas onde afinal as estrelas não são senão estrelas

But where in the end the stars are nothing if not stars

Nem as flores senão flores,

And the flowers nothing if not flowers,

Sendo por isso que lhes chamamos estrelas e flores.

And that is why we call them stars and flowers.