Complicated tattoos of my chest: Camilo Pessanha, an ideogram maker

Abstract

This article aims to analyze some compositions of Clepsydra, 1920 by Camilo Pessanha and establish a comparison between his work and Chinese writing. Therefore, it pays attention to the visual quality of Pessanha's poetry and how he read, translated, and incorporated aspects of Chinese poetry into his verses. It also promotes a dialogue between the Coimbra poet and the Chinese poetic tradition, highlighting important figures from various periods. Furthermore, it demonstrates how Camilo Pessanha was a pioneer in using themes from Oriental poetry in his writing, anticipating elements of Imagism. Thus, the article reveals Pessanha, alongside Ezra Pound, as a precursor to incorporating the aesthetics of ideograms into Western literature. Additionally, it comments on the poet's translating activity, which operates through the hospitality of language, as stated by Derrida, and in a vampiric manner by using difference to his advantage and incorporating it into his artistic practice. Finally, the objective is to demonstrate how the learning and translation of ideograms nourished Camilo Pessanha's poetics and constitute a central aspect of both his ethics and aesthetics.