Abyssinia-iffat

The map above depicts the medieval region of Abyssinia-Iffat, a political entity that flourished during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries CE. I chose Abyssinia-Iffat as the name of this website because it symbolizes the meeting of different traditions, ideas, and cultures. It therefore seems a fitting emblem for a website that explores diverse areas of human knowledge.

Construção	Construction
De: Chico Buarque	By: Chico Buarque
Amou daquela vez como se fosse a última	He loved in that time, as if was the last
Beijou sua mulher como se fosse a última	He kissed his woman, as if was the last time
E cada filho seu como se fosse o único	And every child was like his only one
E atravessou a rua com seu passo tímido	And crossed the street, with his scared steps
Subiu a construção como se fosse máquina	He climbed up to the construction site, it was like a machine
Ergueu no patamar quatro paredes sólidas	Made in a base of four solid walls.
Tijolo com tijolo num desenho mágico	Brick on brick in a magic design
Seus olhos embotados de cimento e lágrima	His eyes embodied the cement and tears
Sentou pra descansar como se fosse sábado	He felt he wanted to rest as if it was Saturday
Comeu feijão com arroz como se fosse um príncipe	He ate feijão with rice like he was a prince
Bebeu e soluçou como se fosse um náufrago	He drank and cried like he was a glutton
Dançou e gargalhou como se ouvisse música	He danced and gargled while listening to music
E tropeçou no céu como se fosse um bêbado	He stumbled into the sky, like he was a drunk
E flutuou no ar como se fosse um pássaro	And moved in the air like a bird
E se acabou no chão como um pacote flácido	And ended up on the ground like a soft package
Agonizou no meio do passeio público	He agonized in the middle of a public sidewalk
Morreu na contramão atrapalhando o tráfego	He died in confusing wrong way traffic.
Amou daquela vez como se fosse a última	He loved in that time, as if was the last
Beijou sua mulher como se fosse a única	He kissed his woman, like she was the only one
E cada filho seu como se fosse o pródigo	And every child was like his prodigy
E atravessou a rua com seu passo bêbado	And crossed the street with his drunken step
Subiu a construção como se fosse sólido	He climbed up to the construction like it was solid
Ergueu no patamar quatro paredes mágicas	Made in a base of four magical walls
Tijolo com tijolo num desenho lógico	Brick on brick in a logical design
Seus olhos embotados de cimento e tráfego	Its eyes embodied the cement and traffic
Sentou pra descansar como se fosse um príncipe	He felt he wanted to rest, like he was a prince
Comeu feijão com arroz como se fosse o máximo	He ate feijão with rice like it was the best (meal)
Bebeu e soluçou como se fosse máquina	He drank and cried like he was a machine
Dançou e gargalhou como se fosse o próximo	He danced and gargled like he was the next one
E tropeçou no céu como se ouvisse música	And stumbled into the sky, as if listening to music
E flutuou no ar como se fosse sábado	And moved in the air like it was Saturday.
E se acabou no chão feito um pacote tímido	And ended up on the ground like a scared package
Agonizou no meio do passeio náufrago	He agonized in the middle of a sidewalk orgy
Morreu na contramão atrapalhando o público	He died in a confusing wrong way public

Tradução: Robleh Wais