Laudator Temporis Acti

By Portuguese poet Eugénio de Andrade (1923-2005), translated by Eric Thomson:

On the flyleaf of a copy of The Georgics

Books. Their tanned skin,
warm, smooth, serene. Loving
company. Ever willing to
share the sun
of their waters. So docile,
silent, loyal.
So luminous in their
white and vegetable and enclosed
melancholy. Beloved
as none other of the soul's
companions. So musical
in the fluvial and overflowing
fervour of each day.

Num exemplar das Geórgicas

Os livros. A sua cálida
Terna, serena pele. Amorosa
Companhia. Dispostos sempre
A partilhar o sol
Das suas águas. Tão dóceis
Tão calados, tão leais.
Tão luminosos na sua branca e vegetal e cerrada
Melancolia.
Amados
Como nenhuns outros companheiros
Da alma. Tão musicais
No fluvial e transbordante
Ardor de cada dia.

From an interview of Eugénio de Andrade by Paulo da Costa:

He does not think much of the electronic advancements and their impact on writing and reading, "I don't forego the smell of ink," he says. He considers the new technologies an impoverishment. He writes by hand, likes the texture of paper, the pleasure of holding and re-reading.