C1 — Advanced·10 min read·Literary Fiction·culture

A Contemplação do Tejo

Um filósofo reformado contempla a sua vida à beira do Tejo, num monólogo interior que questiona o sentido da existência.

Theme verbcontemplar—to contemplate / to gaze upon

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Story opening — Portuguese with English Translation

Às cinco da tarde, quando a luz do Outono rasga horizontalmente as nuvens sobre o Tejo, Henrique Fonseca senta-se sempre no mesmo banco de madeira desgastada no Cais do Sodré. Tem setenta e dois anos, um casaco de tweed cor de musgo e os bolsos cheios de pedrinhas lisas que foi recolhendo ao longo de décadas de passeios matinais. Contempla o rio com a atenção concentrada de quem aprendeu, tarde demais, que ver e contemplar são actos fundamentalmente distintos. Durante quarenta anos leccionou filosofia na Universidade de Lisboa e nunca deixou de estranhar que os seus alunos chegassem às aulas incapazes de permanecer em silêncio durante mais de trinta segundos.

At five in the afternoon, when the autumn light cuts horizontally through the clouds over the Tagus, Henrique Fonseca always sits on the same worn wooden bench at Cais do Sodré. He is seventy-two years old, wearing a moss-coloured tweed coat with pockets full of smooth pebbles he has collected over decades of morning walks. He gazes upon the river with the concentrated attention of someone who learned, too late, that seeing and contemplating are fundamentally distinct acts. For forty years he taught philosophy at the University of Lisbon and never ceased to find it strange that his students arrived at lectures incapable of remaining silent for more than thirty seconds.

— Contemplar é um acto de rendição — disse ele uma vez a uma aluna de doutoramento que o tinha seguido até este mesmo cais, caderno na mão, à procura de mais uma citação para a tese. — Não se contempla aquilo que se domina. Contempla-se aquilo que nos ultrapassa. O Tejo não me pertence; sou eu que lhe pertenço, pelo menos nesta hora do dia. A aluna anotou a frase, mas Henrique suspeitou que não a tinha compreendido. Compreender exige tempo que as teses de doutoramento raramente permitem.

"To contemplate is an act of surrender," he said once to a doctoral student who had followed him to this very quay, notebook in hand, looking for one more quotation for her thesis. "One does not contemplate what one masters. One contemplates what surpasses us. The Tagus does not belong to me; I belong to it, at least at this hour of day." The student noted the phrase, but Henrique suspected she had not understood it. Understanding requires time that doctoral theses rarely allow.

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Vocabulary Glossary

WordMeaning
contemplarto contemplate / to gaze thoughtfully upon
contemploI contemplate (present tense)
contemplasyou contemplate (present tense)
contemplahe/she contemplates (present tense)
contemplamoswe contemplate (present tense)
contemplamthey contemplate (present tense)
contempleiI contemplated (preterite)
contemplasteyou contemplated (preterite)
contemplouhe/she contemplated (preterite)
contemplámoswe contemplated (preterite)
contemplaramthey contemplated (preterite)
contemplavawas contemplating / used to contemplate (imperfect)
contemplavamthey used to contemplate (imperfect)
contemplandocontemplating (gerund)
contempladocontemplated (past participle)
contemplaráwill contemplate (future)
contemplativocontemplative / meditative
contemplaçãocontemplation / meditative gazing
rasgarto cut through / to tear (literary: of light)
rasgacuts through / tears (present tense)
horizontalmentehorizontally
nuvemcloud
nuvensclouds (plural)
banco de madeirawooden bench
desgastadaworn / weathered (feminine)
desgastadoworn / weathered (masculine)
desgastarto wear down / to erode
Cais do SodréCais do Sodré (riverside area in Lisbon)
casaco de tweedtweed coat
musgomoss / moss-green (colour)
bolsopocket
bolsospockets (plural)
pedrinhasmall stone / pebble
pedrinhassmall stones / pebbles (plural)
lisosmooth / flat
lisassmooth (feminine plural)
recolherto collect / to gather
recolhendocollecting / gathering (gerund)
passeio matinalmorning walk
passeios matinaismorning walks (plural)
atenção concentradaconcentrated attention / focused gaze
tarde demaistoo late
fundamentalmentefundamentally
distintodistinct / separate
distintosdistinct (masculine plural)
leccionarto teach / to lecture (formal academic register)
leccionoutaught / lectured (preterite)
filosofiaphilosophy
Universidade de LisboaUniversity of Lisbon
estranharto find strange / to be unsettled by
estranheiI found strange (preterite)
alunostudent / pupil
alunosstudents (plural)
incapazincapable / unable
incapazesincapable (plural)
permanecerto remain / to stay
silênciosilence
rendiçãosurrender / yielding
ultrapassarto surpass / to go beyond / to exceed
ultrapassasurpasses / goes beyond (present tense)
pertencerto belong to
pertencebelongs (present tense)
pertençoI belong (present tense)
tese de doutoramentodoctoral thesis / PhD dissertation
citaçãoquotation / citation
compreenderto understand / to comprehend
compreendidounderstood / comprehended
anotounoted down / jotted (preterite)
suspeitarto suspect
suspeitoususpected (preterite)
suspeitasuspects / suspicion (noun)
reformaretirement / reform
reformadoretired (masculine)
brutalidade discretadiscreet brutality (literary phrase for quiet inevitability)
brutalidadebrutality / harshness
inevitabilidadeinevitability
da noite para o diaovernight / from one day to the next (fixed expression)
seminárioseminar
semináriosseminars (plural)
reunião de departamentodepartmental meeting
provastudent paper / test / proof
provasstudent papers / tests (plural)
compulsivocompulsive / driven by compulsion
compulsivacompulsive (feminine)
vastovast / wide
vastasvast (feminine plural)
aterrorizanteterrifying / frightening
aterrorizantesterrifying (plural)
seriedadeseriousness / gravity
absorverto absorb / to take in
absorver sem destruirto absorb without destroying (literary expression)
flutuarto float
flutuavamwere floating / used to float (imperfect)
folha caídafallen leaf
folhas caídasfallen leaves (plural)
superfíciesurface
silhuetasilhouette / outline
reflectirto reflect / to mirror
reflectidareflected (feminine)
indiferenteindifferent / unmoved
assistirto witness / to attend / to watch
assistiuwitnessed / attended (preterite)
arrogantearrogant / conceited
julgarto believe / to judge / to think
julgavabelieved / thought (imperfect)
salvarto save
absortoabsorbed / engrossed
eficienteefficient
pastabriefcase / folder
pastasbriefcases / folders (plural)
repletofull / crammed with
repletasfull / crammed (feminine plural)
artigo académicoacademic article / scholarly paper
artigos académicosacademic articles (plural)
velhoold / elderly
talvez livreperhaps free (existential expression)
liberdadefreedom / liberty
velhiceold age
longamenteat length / for a long time
contradizerto contradict
contradizemcontradict (present tense)
defenderto argue for / to defend / to uphold
defendeudefended / argued for (preterite)
conquistaconquest / achievement
razãoreason / rationality
capitulaçãocapitulation / surrender
dominarto master / to control
ilustrarto illustrate / to demonstrate
ilustraillustrates (present tense)
paradoxoparadox
fluirto flow
fluiflows (present tense)
intençãointention / purpose
propósitopurpose / intent
precisamenteprecisely / exactly
por issofor that reason / therefore
aproximaçãoapproximation
por aproximaçãoapproximately / by approximation (fixed phrase)
pazpeace
à maneira kantianain a Kantian manner (philosophical allusion)
antigo colegaformer colleague
interromperto interrupt
interrompeuinterrupted (preterite)
aproximar-seto approach / to come closer
aproximou-seapproached (preterite reflexive)
apressadobrisk / hurried
passo apressadobrisk step / hurried gait
distinguirto distinguish / to set apart
distinguiudistinguished / set apart (preterite)
faculdadefaculty / university department
cansarto tire / to grow weary of
cansavatired / grew weary (imperfect)
impossívelimpossible
suspirosigh
fadigaexhaustion / fatigue
semestresemester / half-year term
estado da filosofiastate of philosophy (as a discipline)
universidade portuguesaPortuguese university
tendência crescentegrowing tendency / increasing trend
reduzirto reduce / to diminish
pensamentothought / thinking
métricametric / measurable indicator
métricas de produtividadeproductivity metrics
produtividadeproductivity
académicaacademic (feminine)
participarto participate / to take part
participouparticipated / took part (preterite)
polidezpoliteness / courtesy
espíritospirit / mind
desenvolverto develop / to cultivate
desenvolverahad developed (pluperfect)
em simultâneosimultaneously / at the same time
contaminarto contaminate / to taint
instalar-seto settle / to establish oneself
fio do pensamentotrain of thought (idiomatic)
instalar-se no silêncioto settle back into silence (literary expression)
baixarto lower / to descend
começavawas beginning (imperfect)
tingirto tinge / to stain with colour
tingindotinging / staining with colour (gerund)
cobrecopper (the metal / the colour)
âmbaramber (colour)
transformaçãotransformation / change
cientistascientist
fenómeno rarorare phenomenon
repetição diáriadaily repetition
diminuirto diminish / to reduce
carácter singularsingular character / unique quality
irrepetívelunrepeatable / unique
parecerto seem / to resemble
pareçammay seem / may resemble (present subjunctive)
pedra de rioriver stone
brancowhite
cinzentogrey
veios cinzentosgrey veins (in stone)
veiovein (in stone or wood)
Praia Fluvial de Constânciariver beach at Constância (town on the Tagus)
espantowonder / astonishment
recuperarto recover / to retrieve
tentandoattempting / trying (gerund)
filosofia zenZen philosophy
olhos de principiantebeginner's eyes (Zen concept)
principiantebeginner / novice
citarto quote / to cite
citarahad quoted / had cited (pluperfect)
praticarto practise / to put into practice
praticavawas practising / used to practise (imperfect)
livro célebrecelebrated book
célebrecelebrated / famous
publicadopublished (past participle)
argumentarto argue / to contend
argumentavaargued / contended (imperfect)
crise moralmoral crisis
mundo contemporâneocontemporary world
exemplarcopy (of a book)
exemplarescopies (of a book, plural)
traduzidotranslated (past participle)
congressocongress / conference
entretantomeanwhile / in the meantime
relerto reread
releriawould reread / used to reread (imperfect)
reliaused to reread (imperfect)
erradowrong / mistaken
atençãoattention
ética da atençãoethics of attention (book title / concept)
cerimóniaceremony / formality
sem cerimóniawithout ceremony / unceremoniously
habitualhabitual / usual
reflectir-seto be reflected
multiplicarto multiply
multiplicando-semultiplying (gerund reflexive)
coluna de luzcolumn of light
tremerto tremble / to shimmer
tremiamtrembled / shimmered (imperfect)
ondulaçãoundulation / ripple
ondulaçõesundulations / ripples (plural)
correntecurrent (of water)
analogia filosóficaphilosophical analogy
analogiasanalogies (plural)
nota mentalmental note
notas mentaismental notes (plural)
suficientesufficient / enough
joelhoknee
joelhosknees (plural)
protestoprotest / complaint
cartilagemcartilage
gastaworn / spent (feminine)
apertoutightened / pulled close (preterite)
friocold / coldness
descerto descend / to fall (of temperature)
descerahad descended / had fallen (pluperfect)
devagarslowly
direcçãodirection
metrounderground / metro (Lisbon)
turistatourist
turistastourists (plural)
fotografarto photograph
telemóvelmobile phone
telemóveismobile phones (plural)
erguidoraised / held up
erguidosraised (masculine plural)
ecrãscreen (phone or computer)
perdaloss
simultaneamentesimultaneously
ambosboth
plano de atençãoplane of attention (philosophical term)
contemplativocontemplative (adjective)
socialsocial
corte orçamentalbudget cut
pôr do solsunset
margem sulsouth bank (of the Tagus)
HeideggerHeidegger (German philosopher, 1889–1976)
zenZen (school of Buddhism)
doutoramentodoctorate / PhD
cadernonotebook
ocasionalmenteoccasionally
ter nada a perderto have nothing to lose (fixed expression)
entardecerdusk / late afternoon

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