Jan Twardowski – aprendendo a confiar no grande Mistério do mundo

e esqueça que você é quando você diz que ama

 

Esses versos foram escritos pelo poeta e padre polonês Jan Twardowski (1915-2006), autor de um de nossos poemas favoritos Let’s rush to love people (que você pode ler nesse post). Jan nasceu e passou a maior parte da sua vida em Varsóvia. Desde muito cedo iniciou sua produção poética. Durante a ocupação nazista, lutou com as forças de resistência polonesas durante o Levante de Varsóvia. Em decorrência das suas experiências durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial e da destruição da casa de sua família, decidiu dedicar-se à vida eclesiástica e tornar-se padre.

Num mundo dominado pela aparência e pelo trabalho intelectual, nos deparamos muitas vezes com desespero, cinismo, relativismo, descrença e materialismo. Nesse contexto, falar sobre fé e espiritualidade pode parecer fraco e de menor importância. No entanto, o poeta fala que seus versos são justamente escritos para aqueles leitores que estão à procura de esperança, verdade e autenticidade – valores que são atemporais.

Epitáfio na igreja dos Visitantes com os últimos versos escritos pelo poeta: Jesus, confio em Ti / Em lugar da morte / receba com um sorriso / aceita, Senhor / sob os Teus pés / minha vida / é como um rosário. As joaninhas presentes no epitáfio e no monumento remetem ao seu amor pela natureza e pelas pequenas coisas. A joaninha está presente também no título do livro Trzeba iść dalej, czyli spacer biedronki (É preciso ir além, ou o passeio da joaninha).
Epitaph in the Church of the Visitants with the last verses written by the poet: Jesus, I trust in You / Instead of death / receive with a smile / accept, Lord / under Your feet / my life / is like a rosary. The ladybirds in the epitaph and in the monument refer to his love for nature. The ladybird is also present in the title of the book Trzeba iść dalej, czyli spacer biedronki (It is necessary to go beyond, or the ladybird ride).

“Último
Fé – confiança para sempre
esperança – tempo sem despedidas
primeiro amor – completamente como um novilho
porque olha para o céu
para ver a terra

último amor – a premonição da beleza

 

Jan Twardowski – learning to trust in the great Mystery of the world

 

“When you say
Don’t cry in your letter
don’t write that you’ve been kicked by fate
there is no situation on earth without a way out
when God closes the door – He opens the window
breath out and look
from the clouds come falling
small great misfortunes needed for happiness
from the simples things learn calmness

and forget that you are when you say that you love

 

Theses verses were written by Jan Twardowski (1915-2006) – Polish poet and priest –, who is the author of one our favourite poems Let’s rush to love people (that you can read in this post). Jan was born in Warsaw, where he spent most of his life. From very early he began his poetic production. During the Nazi occupation he fought with Polish resistance forces in the Warsaw Uprising. As a result of his experiences during II World War and the destruction of his family’s home, he decided to dedicate himself to ecclesiastical life becoming a priest.

In his poems he recorded his experiences and emotions, his encounters with the world and people. As a poet, he used to say that his verses were like a conversation, in which he tried to convey part of his experience of the world. He used to write as he was talking to a very close friend.

Jan tells that he used to feel that he lived between two worlds: one external – dominated by media, which shows a contaminated and false world, full of illusion; and another internal – guided by the deepest human feelings. As a priest, he has seen that when a human being moves away from his divine essence, he suffers.

In a world dominated by appearance and intellectual work, we often see in our way despair, cynicism, relativism, disbelief and materialism. In this context, talking about faith and spirituality might seem weak and of minor importance. However, the poet says that his verses are rightly for those readers who are looking for hope, truth and authenticity – values that are timeless.

For Jan, verses save what has been trampled by so much noise, so much information. Poems purify the reality in which we live. The poet, known as the smiling priest, proposes a joyful faith, which reminds us of the confidence of a child, connected to nature and to the human being. Paradoxically he welcomes solitude and suffering, which allow man to become transparent, fully open to the divine plans. In his verses we learn that suffering does not always mean lack of happiness, but rather it is a test of our trust in the great Mystery of the world, which is love.

“Last
Faith – trust forever
Hope – time without saying goodbye
First love – absolutely like a calf
Because it looks at the sky
To see the earth

Last love – the premonition of beauty