Straight poem is a work by Fernando Pessoa, signed by his heteronym Álvaro de Campos, written between 1914 and 1935.
The poem speaks ironically about the society hypocrisy, about people who hide their faults and weaknesses, showing themselves as perfect beings.
The author portrays himself as discouraged and bored with people and demonstrates difficulty in relating to his peers, who lie to themselves and others to be admired.
Straight line poem - Álvaro de Campos
I never knew anyone who had been beaten.
All my acquaintances have been champions in everything.
And I, so often paltry, so often pig, so often vile,
I so often irresponsibly parasitic,
inexcusably dirty,
I, who so often have not had the patience to take a shower,
I, who so often have been ridiculous, absurd,
That I have publicly wrapped my feet in the rugs of the
hang tags,
That I've been grotesque, petty, submissive and arrogant,
That I've been spoiled and silent,
That when I haven't been silent, I've been even more ridiculous;
I, who have been comical to hotel maids,
I, who have been feeling the blink of the eyes of the freight men,
I, who have been financially embarrassed, borrowed without paying,
I, who, when punch time came, have been crouching
Out of the Punch Chance;
I, who have suffered the anguish of ridiculous little things,
I find that I have no match for all this in this world.
Everyone I know who talks to me
There was never a ridiculous act, never suffered defilement,
He was never but a prince - all of them princes - in his life...
I wish I heard someone's human voice
That he confessed not a sin but an infamy;
That it counted, not violence, but cowardice!
No, they are all the Ideal, if I hear them and speak to me.
Who is there in this wide world who confesses to me that he was once vile?
Oh princes, my brothers,
Arre, I'm fed up with demigods!
Where is there people in the world?
So is it just me who is vile and wrong on this earth?
Women may not have loved them,
They may have been betrayed - but never ridiculous!
And I, who have been ridiculous without being betrayed,
How can I talk to my superiors without hesitation?
I, who have been vile, literally vile,
Vile in the mean and infamous sense of vileness.
poem interpretation
Álvaro de Campos begins the poem by saying that he doesn't know anyone who has been beaten and that all of his acquaintances are champions, which portrays the hypocrisy of a society that appears to be perfect.
The author also reveals that he has no friends, which will become understandable throughout the poem, as he reveals his difficulty in relating to people, as he believes they are false.
In contrast to what he said about his acquaintances, portrays yourself as an imperfect person and uses pejorative adjectives to describe himself. He assumes that he is a guy who does not conform to the rules of etiquette and who is mistreated by others.
He is considered ridiculous and comical in the eyes of other people, he assumes himself as a parasite, arrogant, petty and shows cowardice when he says that he avoids the possibility of punching. He confesses to borrowing money and not paying it back, as well as being distressed by trivial things.
finds that has no peer in this world. Now, by revealing so many defects and being so imperfect, he differs from the rest of society, which only has advantages and presents its virtues.
The isolation of the lyrical self, who reveals himself as a solitary being in a world where social pretending predominates, he being the only person capable of recognizing his own weaknesses and imperfections.
Convinced that society will not cease to be hypocritical and that people will not reveal their greatest faults, the author suggests that at least some imperfections be revealed. If violence and sins cannot be assumed, let at least one cowardice or infamy be revealed.
But they are all the ideal, they are all princes. All the people the author speaks to do not reveal their humanity - represented by imperfection - but their accuracy, integrity and beauty. It is then questioned whether anyone could assume a despicable and insignificant character.
In a tone of relief, the lyrical self reveals tiredness in relation to this society of hypocrisy and draws a parallel between the divine and the human by portraying people as demigods. That is, as deities, whose perfection distinguishes them from what a human being is.
He questions being the only vile and wrong person on Earth after asking where there are people in the world. When using the term "people" refers to the human, who is not a perfect being, always honest, upright and angelic, but a person with behaviors that are not always positive from a moral point of view.
In the final excerpt, the author talks about people's inability to be ridiculous and again assumes their vileness and pettiness, as if he were the only one capable of admitting them.
By calling him Straight poem, the author is ironic and critical of those who always live in a "straight line", who are restrained and who do not escape the moral rules. For Álvaro de Campos, life cannot be represented by a straight line. Life is crooked, made up of ups and downs, mistakes and successes, imperfections and contradictions.
See also the meaning of poem, tale and literature of twine.