“Meus oito anos” (2 of 2)

Source: https://mundoeducacao.uol.com.br/
literatura/casimiro-abreu.htm

[Part 1]

“My Eight Years”
Oh! days of my youth!
Oh! my springtime sky!
How sweet was life
On that bright morning.
Instead of the heartaches of now,
I had in those delights
The caresses from my mother
And kisses from my sister!

Free child of the mountains,
I went along well satisfied,
Shirt open to the chest,
- Feet unshod, arms naked -
Running through the woods
Around the waterfalls,
Behind the light wings
Of the blue butterflies!

In those lucky times
I’d collect fruits,
Climbed to get the mangoes,
Played at the ocean’s edge;
Said my Hail Marys
I always thought the sky was gorgeous,
I fell asleep smiling
And awoke singing!

Oh! How I long for
The aurora of my life,
My beloved childhood
That the years bring no more!
What love, what dreams, what flowers,
On those afternoons carefree
In the shade of the banana tree,
Under the orange groves!