That's why I read, as a stranger, My being as if it were pages. Not knowing what will come And forgetting what has passed, I note in the margin of my… - Fernando Pessoa

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Engraved portrait of Fernando Pessoa, facing right

That's why I read, as a stranger,
My being as if it were pages.
Not knowing what will come
And forgetting what has passed,
I note in the margin of my reading
What I thought I felt.
Rereading, I wonder: "Was that me?"
God knows, because he wrote it.

English
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About Fernando Pessoa

Fernando Pessoa (13 June 1888 – 30 November 1935) was a Portuguese poet and writer, most of whose work was published posthumously. He wrote frequently under heteronyms, alter egos with developed personalities, biographies, jobs, habits, attitudes, addresses, etc., who sometimes quoted and interacted with each other and other people.

Portrait adapted from Wikimedia Commons, S.A. e Maria José de Lencastre (Public domain / CC0)

Also Known As

Pen Names: Alberto Caeiro Álvaro de Campos Ricardo Reis Bernardo Soares
Native Name: Fernando António Nogueira Pessoa
Alternative Names: Fernando Antonio Nogueira Pessoa

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What can I expect from myself? My sensation in all their horrible acuity, and a profound awareness of feeling. A sharp mind that only destroys me, and an unusual capacity for dreaming to keep me entertained. A dead will and a reflection that cradles it, like a living child.

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