Poetry: Poems Made Into Songs and Songs that Read Like Poems

I enjoy poetry. There is something extremely liberating and gratifying about finding a poem that expresses with it's beautifully descriptive words the very sentiments of your soul. It connects you to another's joy or pain that somehow may resemble your own. In its rhetoric, full of hidden meanings, you can discover shocking revelations and precious truths.

Today I want to explore three poems that were made into songs and vice versa, two of which were originally written in Portuguese and later translated to English. I chose these poems because they affected me in different ways, all profound and memorable with a haunting after effect.

The first poem was originally a song written by the Brazilian Singer/Songwriter Milton Nascimento . He composed the song in the early 1970's but released it in 1982. The title of the song - Ponta de Areia. When translated to English the song reads like a poem.


PONTA DE AREIA                                   PONTA DE AREIA - English Translation                  

Ponta de areia                                           Ponta de areia
Ponto final                                                  Last stop
Da Bahia Minas                                        From Bahia to Minas
Estrada Natural                                         A natural road

Que ligava Minas                                      That linked Minas

Ao porto ao mar                                         To the harbor, to the sea

Caminhos de ferro                                    An order was issued

Mandaram arrancar                                  To pull out the railway tracks

Velho maquinista                                      Old Locamotive Engineer

Com seu boné                                           With his cap

Lembra o povo alegre                              Remembers the cheerful people

Que vinha cortejar                                    With welcome greetings

Maria Fumaça                                           Smokey Mary

Não passa mais                                        No longer passes 

Para moças, flores,                                   by girls, flowers, 

Janelas e quintais                                     windows and backyards

Na praça vazia                                          In the empty square

Um grito, um ai…                                      A cry, a moan...

Casas esquecidas                                    Forgotten houses                                 

Viúvas nos portais…                                Widows at the front door...

Another song that reads like a poem when translated from Portuguese to English is called - "Inutil Paisagem" - "Useless Landscape". The song was written by Antonio Carlos Jobim and it is believed that the song was inspired by a poem written in English by the same name. (I have researched but could not find the author. If any of you knowledgeable poetry lovers out there can find the author please post in the comments)

USELESS LANDSCAPE - The song (which, to me, reads like a poem)

There's no use

Of a moonlight glow

Or the peaks where winter snows

What's the use of the waves that will break       

In the cool of the evening

What is the evening

Without you

Its nothing

It may be

You will never come

If you never come to me

What's the use of my wonderful dreams

And why would they need me

Where would they lead me

Without you

To nowhere

USELESS LANDSCAPE - The original poem

What purpose do the heavens hold?


What meaning have the seas?


Forwhy these waves so bleak and cold?


Forwhy this evening breeze?


Wherefore the lonely sandy cape,


Which bulges from the shore


And makes this useless land & scape


A scene which I adore?



Now it may be that I’m alone,


And my whole heart is sore,


That all your flowers, sown and grown


With love, might be no more,


Those blossoms which adorned our trails;


Those paths which we had wrought –


May wither, then our fairytales

May all have been for naught.

Last but by no means least we have the poem that was turned into a song. The poem - "The Fly"- was written by the English poet - "William Blake". Once made into a song the title was changed to "Little Fly".

THE FLY

The illustrated version of "The Fly" from Copy F of Songs of Innocence and Experience
currently held at the Yale Center for British Art

Little fly

Thy summer's play,
My thoughtless hand
Has brush'd away.

Am not I
A fly like thee?
Or art not thou
A man like me?

For I dance
And drink & sing;
Till some blind hand
Shall brush my wing.

If thought is life
And strength & breath;
And the want
Of thought is death;

Then am I
A happy fly,
If I live,
Or if I die.

All these poems/songs have one thing in common. They were all brought into the spotlight recently by the lovely and talented jazz singer Esperanza Spalding. Click on their titles to see her or hear her perform them. Little Fly, Inutil Paisagem (Useless Landscape) and Ponta de Areia.

E N J O Y!

“Dear White People” – The Movie

(Poster from IMDB)

“Dear White People” is a new film that can be described as a comedy-satire, race-related drama with an ensemble cast. It caught my attention as the perfect movie to open up the topic of race. As mentioned in my introductory blog, I want to highlight topics and issues that affect me and people in everyday life. Racial issues are one of the issues that affects me deeply and I know it can get uncomfortable to talk openly about this but I'll see how best I can manage.  At some point during the next few weeks I'd like to tackle the issue of race in Trinidad and Tobago and also interracial relationships.

The movie follows the stories of black students in colleges across America who are weary of racial issues that plague them since the colleges they attend are predominantly white. It uses four students to breakdown the categories in which black students find themselves and what they must face.

The writer/director of the movie – Justin Simien – explained that he began writing the script as a result of the experiences he had while attending an Ivy League college. “It’s about being a black face in a white space,” he said when asked what the movie was all about.

I encourage anyone (regardless of your race or ethnicity) who loves witty, comedic dramas with insightful angles to go see the movie. It comes out on the 17^th of October 2014 in theatres across America but you can watch the trailer here and tell me what you think in the comments below. I thought it was a brave film that manhandled racial topics people are usually hesitant to discuss. For example some of the opening lines in the trailer read like this:

“Dear white people a minimum number of black friends needed to not seem racist has just been raised to two. Sorry but your weed man …‘Tyrone’ does not count. Dear White people please stop touching my hair. Does this look like a petting zoo to you? This just in, dating a black person to piss off your parents is a form of racism…”

 I am both astonished and overjoyed that it was made. To see it take its journey as a little unknown film that traversed film festivals thereby rising to fame within those circles and then breaking through to attain its place within the accessible and popular movie theatres of America is testament to the substance of its content and its smart delivery.

Things That Annoy

I must now take the time to make mention of the response the film received from certain audiences. Let me first say that I am an advocate for freedom of speech and the right to one’s own opinion. While receiving fame and wide acclaim from movie critics and movie lovers alike, certain audiences have voiced in a most distasteful uproar that the movie was one that was very racist against white people. It kills me to think that anyone would think like this. These audiences have made such remarks based on the viewing of the trailer and have vowed that they would never watch the movie. It is an understatement to say that they have totally missed the point.

In my observation (I have seen almost every interview and promo conducted on this movie) the film explored the real life experiences of black college students. Depicted here are the daily struggles and interactions with whites from their (the students) perspective. If anything at all it is meant to be an eye opener for people who unknowingly offend black people. It was painful to read some of the ridiculous comments on certain websites (cough... cough...Youtube... cough) and made me realize that there is sill a lot to be addressed where racial equality is concerned, not just in America but around the world. Your views are important to me so please be honest yet kind in your comments. This can be a learning ground for all involved.

("Dear White People" - The Movie. This picture was a snapshot from the trailer taken from Youtube)

The First of Many

Hi All!  I love the idea of being able to share opinions, likes, dislikes, observations, etc. and receive feedback from others. Under the "Things That Annoy and Things to Enjoy" blog posts, I'd like to discuss topics that affect me and everyday people in day to day living and see if you - the reader - share my sentiments or totally disagree with me altogether.

We all have our own view on things and I'd love to hear yours. Topics may take the shape of love and relationship issues, family issues, race related issues, the psychology of personality, poetry, art, movies, among other things. The idea behind this is to get you thinking, talking, sharing and ultimately learning in the process. Feel free to suggest topics you'd like to see discussed in the comments below. I look forward to sharing and hearing from you.