Pablo Neruda

Sonnet XVII (100 Love Sonnets, 1960) - Neruda

I don't love you as if you were the salt-rose, topaz
or arrow of carnations that propagate fire:
I love you as certain dark things are loved,
secretly, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that doesn't bloom and carries
hidden within itself the light of those flowers,
and thanks to your love, darkly in my body
lives the dense fragrance that rises from the earth.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,
I love you simply, without problems or pride:
I love you in this way because I don't know any other way of loving

but this, in which there is no I or you,
so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand,
so intimate that when I fall asleep it is your eyes that close.

JC - Nevton

Baudelaire - La Musique

La Musique

La musique souvent me prend comme une mer!
Vers ma pâle étoile,
Sous un plafond de brume ou dans un vaste éther,
Je mets à la voile;

La poitrine en avant et les poumons gonflés
Comme de la toile
J'escalade le dos des flots amoncelés
Que la nuit me voile;

Je sens vibrer en moi toutes les passions
D'un vaisseau qui souffre;
Le bon vent, la tempête et ses convulsions

Sur l'immense gouffre
Me bercent. D'autres fois, calme plat, grand miroir
De mon désespoir!

— Charles Baudelaire

Hoje de Manhã

Hoje de Manhã

Hoje de manhã saí muito cedo,
Por ter acordado ainda mais cedo
E não ter nada que quisesse fazer...

Não sabia que caminho tomar
Mas o vento soprava forte, varria para um lado,
E segui o caminho para onde o vento me soprava nas costas.

Assim tem sido sempre a minha vida, e
Assim quero que possa ser sempre
Vou onde o vento me leva e não me
Sinto pensar.

Alberto Caeiro

JC - Nevton

Dear Readers,

Have you ever thought about how you would ask for taking something from a friend?

What about how would you ask a friend to give you something for a moment?

Find below an explanation of how to use such verbs:

Borrow and Lend

Borrow something from somebody

Lend something to somebody

Lend somebody something

Borrow is like take. You borrow something from somebody.

I borrowed a pound from my friend.

Can I borrow your bicycle?

Lend is like give. You lend something to somebody, or lend somebody something (the meaning is the same).

I lent my books to a friend of my father’s, and I never saw them again.

Lend me your pen for a minute, will you?

Have a worderful day.

JC - Nevton

O Menino das Meias Vermelhas

Todos os dias ele ia para o colégio com meias vermelhas. Era um garoto triste, procurava estudar muito mas na hora do recreio ficava afastado dos colegas, como se estivesse procurando alguma coisa.

Os outros guris zombavam dele, implicavam com as meias vermelhas que ele usava. Um dia, perguntaram porque o menino das meias vermelhas só usava meias vermelhas.

Ele contou com simplicidade: "No ano passado, quando fiz aniversário, minha mãe me levou ao circo. Botou em mim essas meias vermelhas. Eu reclamei, comecei a chorar, disse que todo mundo ia zombar de mim por causa das meias vermelhas. Mas ela disse que se me perdesse, bastaria olhar para o chão e quando visse um menino de meias vermelhas saberia que o filho era dela."

Os garotos retrucaram: "Você não está num circo! Por que não tira essas meias vermelhas e joga fora?" Mas o menino das meias vermelhas explicou: "É que a minha mãe abandonou a nossa casa e foi embora. Por isso eu continuo usando essas meias vermelhas. Quando ela passar por mim vai me encontrar e me levará com ela."

Desejos de paz profunda.

JC - Nevton

Never stop believing in Rainbows

There is always a part of us that wants to believe in rainbows. No matter how difficult our lives become, we aspire to find that curve in the road that takes us to a different place. We search for the mountains that transcend the valleys in our lives. When clouds obscure our vision and the journey seems impossible, the sun shines again in our lives.

I've been where you've been, and I know the path is not easy. It's riddled with detours and dissppointments.

I came through the rain, and so will you. You'll stumble and fall, but in the end you'll find your rainbow - the one you keep sacred in your heart.

I believe in rainbows... and in you.

Wishes of deep peace... have a wonderful week!

How to Improve Your English Level

Dear All,

If you want to improve your English, you should do something right away.

That is not easy, although attainable.

Take a look at the link below and listen to some tips that may be helpful to improve your English....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os3pCCpdlWE&feature=related

I hope it gives you some ideas on how to improve your English level.

Have fun,

JC - Nevton

The Lovely Bones

Dear Readers,

In case you want to practice your listening, check the activity below.

This is what you are supposed to do:

1) Click on the link below.

2) Watch the video, and pay attention to it! (You can pause and rewind the video.)

3) Answer the listening comprehension questions below the video.

4) Answers will be provided on our next post.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watchv=aoZ3vLH1xKY&feature=player_embedded

Answer:

1. Who invited the mother?
   Her son-in-law
   Her son
   Her daughter
   
   2. Why was the mother invited?
   Because she's a problem-solver
   Because she offered to help
   Because she lives nearby
   
   3. What does the mother tell the daughter as she walks into the house?
   "Wash your hair, sweetheart."
   "Watch your head, sweetheart."
   "Watch the hair, sweetheart."
   
   4. The mother thinks that Lindsey _______________.
   is indifferent to her
   hates her
   likes her
   
   5. What does "What will it be?" mean, in the context of this video?
   "What would you like to drink?"
   "What are we going to do today?"
   "What would you like to eat?"

Have fun,

Hugs JC - Nevton

“REMEMBER vs REMIND”

Hey Folks,

Do you know the difference between the words “Remember vs Remind”?

The words “Remember and Remind” are very often confused for English students. Follow below two examples of their use. Let´s check it out!

Read the text and learn how they work:

• ‘Remember” is just used to myself. For remembering someone else about something “remind” is used.

E.g:

“I remember now that I had to remind you to take your medicines”.

• “Remember” is to remember something to yourself that you have something to do or to think in your daily routine. Just to yourself!
• “Remind” is used to make someone (that is not you) remember something he/she has forgotten.

So, please "remember" to access our blog and read the weekly release. Janela da Cultura will be commited in always keep it up. Always reminding about the importance of your studies.

Cheers,

Teacher Nevton / JC

STRANGE BUT TRUE!

The post is about some pieces of information, which might sound strange but it is true.

Did you know that?

• St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was not Irish.

• Should never be a crash, Prince Charles and Princes William never travel on the same airplane as a precaution.

• The most popular first name in the world is Muhammad.

• Almost half of the newspapers in the world are published in the United States and Canada.

• The sentence “The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog.” uses every letter of the alphabet.

• It is against the law to mispronounce the name of the State of Arkansas in that State.

• The average American/Canadian drinks about 600 sodas a year.

• There no words in the dictionary, which rhyme with orange and purple.

• Of all the words in the English Language, the word set has the most definitions.

I hope you appreciate that.

Janela da Cultura