Passárgada, the Brazilian Government, and its People: A Search for Refuge in Brazilian Lands?

Passárgada, the Brazilian Government, and its People: A Search for Refuge in Brazilian Lands?

          Manuel Bandeira's poem "Vou-me embora pra Pasárgada" (I'm Going Away to Passárgada), with its dreamlike atmosphere and longing for a place of freedom and abundance, resonates through the decades as a portrayal of humanity's search for an idealized refuge. By exploring its stanzas in light of the relationship between the Brazilian government and its people, we can find surprising analogies and profound reflections on power dynamics, popular aspirations, and, at times, disillusionment with reality.

Bandeira's Passárgada: A Metaphor for Stability and Opportunity?

          Bandeira's "Passárgada," initially seen as a paradise where the lyrical "I" would be "a friend of the king" and have his desires fulfilled, can be interpreted as the projection of a yearning for stability, influence, and opportunities – feelings that, for many Brazilians, may be associated with the idea of a connection to the government. Public sector jobs, with their promise of security and access to resources, can be seen as a kind of earthly "Passárgada," a place where some of life's difficulties would be alleviated. However, the idealization of Passárgada also reveals a complex relationship with reality. The description of an "inconsequential" existence, with "alkaloid at will" and "beautiful prostitutes," suggests a pursuit of ease and pleasures that may detract from a deeper engagement with life's challenges. This search for shortcuts and immediate benefits can find parallels, in a critical reading, with certain motivations that lead some to seek connections with governmental power. The thin line between freedom and libertinism present in the poem also sheds light on the complexities of the relationship between the individual and power. The freedom longed for in Passárgada sometimes borders on licentiousness and a frantic pursuit of personal satisfaction, which may reflect, to some extent, criticisms directed at political practices that prioritize private interests over the common good.

The Quest for Freedom and Freedom of Expression in Brazil

           The pursuit of freedom is a central theme in "Passárgada." The author's desire to escape an unhappy reality for a place where he feels in control and enjoys autonomy resonates with contemporary discussions in Brazil about the right to and freedom of expression. In a period where public debate and the manifestation of opinions have faced challenges and polarizations, Bandeira's yearning for a space of free will, albeit utopian, underscores the fundamental importance of individual and collective liberty. The possibility of expressing oneself without fear, of seeking happiness on one's own terms, echoes the spirit of "Passárgada" in a social and political context where these rights are constantly negotiated and defended.

Passárgada as a Psychological Refuge and Political Disillusionment

           However, the final stanza of the poem reveals an even deeper layer. Faced with a "sadness with no way out" and the "desire to kill myself," "Passárgada" transmutes into a psychological refuge, a last bastion of hope in a world that appears unbearable. "Vou-me embora pra Pasárgada" sounds like a surrender to the harshness of reality, a utopian escape to preserve sanity. It is at this point that the analogy with the feelings of the Brazilian people in relation to politics becomes most poignant. Disillusionment with corruption, inequalities, and the apparent ineffectiveness of the political system can generate a feeling of weariness and despair. Just as the lyrical "I" seeks refuge in Passárgada, many Brazilians may feel compelled to seek their own forms of escape, whether through detachment from politics, disbelief, or the idealization of a better future in distant lands or a transformed political scenario.

Bandeira's Visionary Poem and the Brazilian Reality

          Manuel Bandeira's "visionary" quality, in this context, lies in his ability to capture this profound human need for a refuge in the face of a painful reality. "Passárgada" becomes a symbol of the search for a place where longings are met and pain is absent. For the Brazilian people, this search may manifest in the desire for a government that truly meets their needs, that offers hope and solutions instead of perpetuating frustration. Ultimately, the journey to Passárgada, like the relationship between the Brazilian people and their government, is marked by idealizations, disillusionments, and the incessant search for a place where life can be lived with more dignity and hope. Bandeira's poem, with its melancholic beauty and utopian escape, continues to resonate as a mirror of the longings and, at times, the exhaustion of a people facing the complex reality that surrounds them.

Língua Original (Português)

Vou-me embora pra Pasárgada
Lá sou amigo do rei
Lá tenho a mulher que eu quero
Na cama que escolherei

Vou-me embora pra Pasárgada
Aqui eu não sou feliz
Lá a existência é uma aventura
De tal modo inconsequente
Que Joana a Louca de Espanha
Rainha e falsa demente
Vem a ser contraparente
Da nora que nunca tive

E como farei ginástica
Andarei de bicicleta
Montarei em burro brabo
Subirei no pau-de-sebo
Tomarei banhos de mar!
E quando estiver cansado
Deito na beira do rio
Mando chamar a mãe-d’água
Pra me contar as histórias
Que no tempo de eu menino
Rosa vinha me contar

Vou-me embora pra Pasárgada
Em Pasárgada tem tudo
É outra civilização
Tem um processo seguro
De impedir a concepção
Tem telefone automático
Tem alcaloide à vontade
Tem prostitutas bonitas
Para a gente namorar

E quando eu estiver mais triste
Mas triste de não ter jeito
Quando de noite me der
Vontade de me matar
— Lá sou amigo do rei —
Terei a mulher que eu quero
Na cama que escolherei
Vou-me embora pra Pasárgada.

Língua Inglesa (Fidelity-Focused)

I'm going away to Passárgada
There I'm a friend of the king
There I have the woman that I want
In the bed that I will choose

I'm going away to Passárgada
Here I am not happy
There existence is an adventure
Of such an inconsequential kind
That Joanna the Mad of Spain
Queen and falsely demented
Comes to be counter-parent
Of the daughter-in-law I never had

And as I will do gymnastics
I will ride a bicycle
I will ride a wild donkey
I will climb the greased pole
I will take sea baths!
And when I am tired
I lie down at the riverbank
I send for the water-mother
To tell me the stories
That in the time of my boyhood
Rosa used to tell me

I'm going away to Passárgada
In Passárgada there is everything
It's another civilization
There is a safe process
To prevent conception
There is an automatic telephone
There is alkaloid at will
There are beautiful prostitutes
For us to court

And when I am saddest
But so sad there's no way out
When at night it comes over me
The desire to kill myself
— There I'm a friend of the king —
I will have the woman that I want
In the bed that I will choose
I'm going away to Passárgada.