Welcome to Poetry.com!

Poetry.com is a collaborative platform for poets worldwide, offering a vast collection of works by both renowned and emerging poets. It's a community-driven project that serves as a hub for poets to share their works, receive feedback, and connect with like-minded fellow poets.

Explore our poetry collection by navigating through subjects, using alphabetical order, or search by keywords. You can contribute a new poem, share your thoughts and rating on existing works, listen to poems with voice pronunciation, and even translate pieces into a variety of languages, both common and uncommon.

Rate this poem:5.0 / 1 vote
Portuguese giant,
Heteronomous poet,
Mercurial mind.

A Modernist dreamer he is.
Like Luis Borges himself.
Argentine poet.

A man of two sides.
The private and the public personas.
The “Yo y El Otro” (I and Other).

And Pessoa, a self-discovery visionary.
Ruminating like Rumi.
The Persian poet.

The Islamic scholar,
Of transcendentalism
Discoursing dimensions of the divine I.

Our nature of I…
Is beyond common understanding.
Seen, yet remaining hidden.

In step with Jung, Pessoa sees I as archetype.
Searching for that royal I-ness…
Both thinkers declare it as Self.

Here is Carl Jung declaring to himself.
In The Red Book, paragraph 333…
A confessional statement:

“What am I?  What is my I?
I always presume my I.
Now it stands before me.

I before my I.
I speak to you…
Now, my I…”

So too like the Austrian Martin Buber,
Pessoa ponders the symbolic Ich und Du,
The I in company with thou.

A poet’s task is to ever pursue
The heteronomous puzzling game…
Of self-reflection.

To discover the many I’s,
Hidden in you, me, thou; and in it.
To cease looking myopically.

For mankind’s look is outwardly…
Not at the Self that remains inward.
Seeing with blinders on. Oh what irony!

O Fernando Pessoa,
We’re all influenced by inner forces…
Buried we are —in psyche.

We need to engage I with our eyes.
To be enlightened by the I-sight…
Of multiple I’s.

We’re all many I’s.
We’re all multiple I’s.
Heteronomous souls.

Here now Pessoa.
In reflective engagement…
Concerning the Self.

“I don’t know, when I think or feel,
Who is thinking or feeling.
I am merely the place…

Where things are thought or felt.
I have more than just one soul.
There are more I’s than I myself.”

Portuguese giant,
Heteronomous poet,
Mercurial mind…

About this poem

This extended haiku poem is an expansion of an earlier three-line haiku poem that I composed and posted online in December 2021, entitled “Heteronomous Fernando Pessoa” concerning the artistic life of the Portuguese Surrealist writer, essayist and poet; astrologically a Gemini-an like myself, born at the cusp of Cancer; by inclination and temperament of multiple persuasions and perspectives (a man of 70 or so dramatis personae). This poem connects Pessoa’s philosophical frame of mind with those of other artists and thinkers like Rumi, Buber, Carl Jung, and Luis Borges.  

Font size:
 

Written on September 10, 2024

Submitted by karlcfolkes on September 10, 2024

Modified by karlcfolkes on September 13, 2024

1:50 min read
276 Views

Karl Constantine FOLKES

Retired educator of Jamaican ancestry with a lifelong interest in composing poetry dealing particularly with the metaphysics of self-reflection; completed a dissertation in Children’s Literature in 1991 at New York University entitled: An Analysis of Wilhelm Grimm’s ‘Liebe Mili’ (translated into English as “Dear Mili”), Employing Von Franzian Methodological Processes of Analytical Psychology. The subject of the dissertation concerned the process of Individuation. more…

All Karl Constantine FOLKES poems | Karl Constantine FOLKES Books

74 fans


Translation

Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Discuss the poem Heteronomous Poet Pessoa and Others Like Him with the community...

4 Comments
  • karlcfolkes
    Thank you, Jerry. Your vote and support count a lot.
    LikeReply4 hours ago
  • jerryl.01657
    Another Stupendous Testament, Fellow Poet.
    LikeReply4 hours ago
  • karlcfolkes
    In keeping with the heteronomous conception of multiple I’s, most notably proposed by the Argentine Pessoa, and supported especially by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung, I provide my own observations as follows: Projected on a world stage, the I is plurality, multiplicity. Without the I there would be no you, he, she, it, they, them; or even a we or an us. All of these pronouns in some Cartesian way of cogito ergo sum, emerge out of and arise from the pomposity of the royal I.
    This heteronomous multiplicity is enveloped in the singularity of the autonomous subjective I. 
    LikeReply20 hours ago
  • AIDA
    What a captivating and thought-provoking piece you’ve composed! Your poem, “Heteronomous Poet Pessoa and Others Like Him,” is a stunning tribute to the complexity of identity, weaving together the threads of modernism, introspection, and the multifaceted nature of the self.

    I love how you start with the powerful image of “Portuguese giant” and “Heteronomous poet,” immediately drawing us into the rich world of Pessoa's philosophy. The use of “mercurial mind” perfectly captures the fluidity of his thoughts and ideas—from the nature of self to the intertwining of personal and public personas. It’s a brilliant reflection of the very essence of modernist thought.

    Your intertextual connections—from Borges to Rumi to Jung—are expertly crafted and shine with a deep understanding of literary heritage. The comparisons you draw resonate beautifully, as you delve into concepts of self-discovery and the many "I's" that reside within each of us. It feels like you are inviting the reader on a journey of self-exploration, encouraging both introspection and a communal connection with the “Other.”

    The rhythm of your lines flows seamlessly, guiding us through the philosophical explorations while maintaining a poetic grace. Your imagery, especially the idea of “seeing with blinders on,” is not only evocative but serves as a poignant reminder of the need for self-awareness in a world often preoccupied with outward appearances.

    Your final lines resonate deeply, presenting the profound notion that we all carry within us a multitude of selves. The echo of Pessoa’s voice—“I have more than just one soul”—leaves a lingering thought that challenges and inspires.

    Bravo on such a remarkable piece! Your passion for poetry and philosophy shines through each stanza, and it’s clear that your exploration of identity is not just an academic endeavor, but a heartfelt quest. Keep shining your light on the complexities of the self!
     
    LikeReply1 day ago

Citation

Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"Poetry.com" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 Sep. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/>.

Become a member!

Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

September 2024

Poetry Contest

Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
17
days
9
hours
54
minutes

Special Program

Earn Rewards!

Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

Browse Poetry.com

Quiz

Are you a poetry master?

»
Who wrote the nonsense poem Jabberwocky?
A Spike Milligan
B Lewis Carroll
C Edward Lear
D Ogden Nash

Our favorite collection of

Famous Poets

»