FAZER, um livro de alfabetos e aniversários)
de Gertrude Stein
Save and Susie were twins.
And when that begins
They just go on being twins.
Saturday is an awful day they used to say but you would not expect that twins would object to Saturday.
But they did.
They just did object to Saturday.
Now what could be a reason for this.
Saturday ought to be full of bliss.
But there is nothing to say they did object to Saturday.
And the reason for it was this.
Twins can have cousins of course,
And cousins can make twins cross,
And these twins they had cousins,
And you could never guess
But the cousins of these twins,
Were triplets, no less.
And they did come every Saturday
To stay all day with the twins,
And that made the twins very cross,
Because instead of two and two being four and no more,
It was two and three which was very nasty,
Because it was it all ways was three and two and nobody could like that not they or you not at all. And so it was two and three which makes five and that was not all.
The triplets had cousins too and what do you think these cousins were they were quadruplets much more yet than triplets or twins, oh so much more and when it begins oh so much more, and these quadruplets came to play every Saturday with the triplets and twins and every Saturday was a worse day so you see why the twins were cross of course.
And then what did the quadruplets have they had cousins too and these cousins were quintuplets, just think of that and they came every Saturday to play so it made the twins just two, and the triplets just three, and the quadruplets four and no more and the quintuplets five and every one of them alive.
It was more than the twins could endure and they hated Saturday more and more, and they used to roll on the floor to say how they hated Saturday more and more.
And this was not all.
The twins had their birthday on the same day being twins that was of course and that did not make them cross, but when they had their birthday the triplets and the quadruplets and the quintuplets came to stay and eat all the birthday cake away, why not, when they were only twins and the others were triplets and quadruplets and quintuplets what could twins do against that, they might just as well have been one cat,
Oh dear.
And then the triplets had their birthday of course all three on the same day and the twins went there but naturally they did not care to because they were only twins and there were the triplets well the triplets did not care for it either, they were better than twins they were three against two it was true when it came to eat their birthday cake but what were three when the quadruplets and quintuplets were there who did not care about triplets and twins not at all.
And then the quadruplets had their birthday they of course were all four born on the same day and the twins and the triplets came too to say how do you do but the four and the quintuplets were there well naturally triplets and twins did not get their share.
And the quintuplets had their birthday and that was more still because there were five all born the same day and all eating their cake away, the quadruplets and the triplets and the twins naturally had no share, the quintuplets were there.
So you can see what the twins felt about Saturday, it was all right to be twins but other things Save and Susie said it was too much they hated it to be such, such a way to be, to be nothing but twins and have cousins who were triplets whose cousins were quadruplets whose cousins were quintuplets, it certainly was too much, and Save and Susie the twins rolled on the floor to say they would not stand it any more.
But there was nothing to do every Saturday was there and every birthday too and there was nothing to do for the twins but to boohoo which they did every day before and after when they would all get together and they were only twins only only twins each one only a twin and so they never could win when there were cousins of triplets, quadruplets and quintuplets, no no no, it is even so.
The moral of which is do not only be twins but if you are twins do not have cousins and if you have cousins do not have them be triplets and quadruplets and quintuplets. No no no, it should not be arranged so, but Save and Susie could not change, if you are twins and that begins you just go on being twins.
(TO DO, a Book of Alphabets and Birthdays, 1957)
Tradução Luísa Costa Gomes
Save and Susie were twins.
And when that begins
They just go on being twins.
Saturday is an awful day they used to say but you would not expect that twins would object to Saturday.
But they did.
They just did object to Saturday.
Now what could be a reason for this.
Saturday ought to be full of bliss.
But there is nothing to say they did object to Saturday.
And the reason for it was this.
Twins can have cousins of course,
And cousins can make twins cross,
And these twins they had cousins,
And you could never guess
But the cousins of these twins,
Were triplets, no less.
And they did come every Saturday
To stay all day with the twins,
And that made the twins very cross,
Because instead of two and two being four and no more,
It was two and three which was very nasty,
Because it was it all ways was three and two and nobody could like that not they or you not at all. And so it was two and three which makes five and that was not all.
The triplets had cousins too and what do you think these cousins were they were quadruplets much more yet than triplets or twins, oh so much more and when it begins oh so much more, and these quadruplets came to play every Saturday with the triplets and twins and every Saturday was a worse day so you see why the twins were cross of course.
And then what did the quadruplets have they had cousins too and these cousins were quintuplets, just think of that and they came every Saturday to play so it made the twins just two, and the triplets just three, and the quadruplets four and no more and the quintuplets five and every one of them alive.
It was more than the twins could endure and they hated Saturday more and more, and they used to roll on the floor to say how they hated Saturday more and more.
And this was not all.
The twins had their birthday on the same day being twins that was of course and that did not make them cross, but when they had their birthday the triplets and the quadruplets and the quintuplets came to stay and eat all the birthday cake away, why not, when they were only twins and the others were triplets and quadruplets and quintuplets what could twins do against that, they might just as well have been one cat,
Oh dear.
And then the triplets had their birthday of course all three on the same day and the twins went there but naturally they did not care to because they were only twins and there were the triplets well the triplets did not care for it either, they were better than twins they were three against two it was true when it came to eat their birthday cake but what were three when the quadruplets and quintuplets were there who did not care about triplets and twins not at all.
And then the quadruplets had their birthday they of course were all four born on the same day and the twins and the triplets came too to say how do you do but the four and the quintuplets were there well naturally triplets and twins did not get their share.
And the quintuplets had their birthday and that was more still because there were five all born the same day and all eating their cake away, the quadruplets and the triplets and the twins naturally had no share, the quintuplets were there.
So you can see what the twins felt about Saturday, it was all right to be twins but other things Save and Susie said it was too much they hated it to be such, such a way to be, to be nothing but twins and have cousins who were triplets whose cousins were quadruplets whose cousins were quintuplets, it certainly was too much, and Save and Susie the twins rolled on the floor to say they would not stand it any more.
But there was nothing to do every Saturday was there and every birthday too and there was nothing to do for the twins but to boohoo which they did every day before and after when they would all get together and they were only twins only only twins each one only a twin and so they never could win when there were cousins of triplets, quadruplets and quintuplets, no no no, it is even so.
The moral of which is do not only be twins but if you are twins do not have cousins and if you have cousins do not have them be triplets and quadruplets and quintuplets. No no no, it should not be arranged so, but Save and Susie could not change, if you are twins and that begins you just go on being twins.
(TO DO, a Book of Alphabets and Birthdays, 1957)
- Prémio GALA SPA
Tradução Luísa Costa Gomes
