Greater plight was never cast

Greater plight was never cast, translation Rita Faria

 

Greater plight was never cast

not even in love found 

than remembrance of grace past,

at times when disgrace abounds.

 

I have for my great misfortune

seen all the plight existing,

but never a greater sadness

reminded me of feelings persisting.

I was and I am a lover

and love favours me not

and great pain I’ve seen begot,

but this is pain like no other.

Nunca foi mal nenhum mor, Bernardim Ribeiro

 

Nunca foi mal nenhum mor

nem no há aí nos amores

que a lembrança do favor,

no tempo dos desfavores.

 

Eu por minha má ventura

não há já mal que não visse,

mas nunca tanta tristura

me lembra que ainda sentisse.

Fui e sou grande amador

e vai-me bem mal de amores

e muitos vi de grão dor,

mas esta é suma das dores.

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Rita Faria is a professor at the Catholic University of Portugal. She doesn’t know how to do anything else apart from reading and writing and wants to do nothing else apart from reading and writing. Besides this, she enjoys horror films, vampires, ghosts and zombies in general and thinks the Portuguese language is the most fun in the whole world.