
The poems open with a restless, almost feverish voice that thunders through Lisbon and Paris, chasing the fleeting edges of genius, desire, and dread. In the first piece, the speaker wrestles with the urge to flee mystery while simultaneously grasping at an incandescent light that few can reflect, weaving images of swords, clouds, and golden rain into an ecstatic quest for beauty. The language twists between celestial ascent and earthly turmoil, offering a vivid portrait of an artist caught between pride and profound nostalgia.
Later sections plunge deeper into a labyrinth of inner excavation, where the poet digs for meaning only to confront empty voids and the intoxicating lure of imagination. Themes of alcohol‑driven delirium, night‑marish reveries, and a yearning for oblivion mingle with flashes of vibrant colour and sound, creating a kaleidoscopic rhythm that feels both modernist and timeless. Listeners will find themselves drawn into a restless dreamscape where every line teeters on the brink of revelation.
Full title
Dispersão 12 poesias por Mario de Sá-Carneiro
Language
pt
Duration
~14 minutes (13K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
Lisboa: Em casa do autor 1, Travessa do Carmo--Lisboa Tipografia do Comercio 1914
Credits
Produced by Tiago Tejo
Release date
2007-06-11
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1890–1916
A central voice in early Portuguese modernism, this restless poet and fiction writer helped shape the groundbreaking magazine Orpheu. His intense, self-searching work gave Portuguese literature some of its most haunting pages.
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