Fado dos Azulejos
Carlos do Carmo
Tile Blues
City tiles,
on a wall or a bench,
they are tiles of longing
dressed in blue and white.
Pieces of my life,
all glazed with sorrow,
tiles, farewell
to my eyes, brimming with water.
On the face of a tile, a girl;
on another, a barking dog and a shepherd.
Oh, tiny frame,
you are the comic strip
on the walls of love.
Faded tiles
for they have seen so much crying.
Tiles so tired
for how many have they seen pass by.
They may tell you no,
they may want to mistreat you:
from within the heart
no one can tear you away.
On the face of a tile, a little bird,
a carnation and a toy horse;
a heart with a thorn,
a holly flower
and a moonlit blue color.
On the face of the tile, the color of the Tagus
and an old boat, yet to set sail.
Distance that I no longer see,
and fills Lisbon with childhood,
and fills Lisbon with sea.
