La lletra S

Fins demà!

Until tomorrow!

Passa que veieu una S i que de sobte tot s'atura

It happens that you see an S and suddenly everything stops.

i ja no podeu continuar per acabar la paraula.

And you can no longer continue to complete the word.

I en català que som especialistes en afartar-nos de plaers

And in Catalan, we are specialists in indulging in pleasures.

perquè som adonistes de mena.

because we are hedonists by nature.

Vam inventar-nos la doble S.

We invented the double S.

Volíem doble plaer, fer un trio amb la S

We wanted double pleasure, to have a threesome with S.

i perdre'ns en aquell viatge que ens promet

and get lost in that journey that promises us

tant si la comences des de dalt com si la comences des de baix.

whether you start it from the top or if you start it from the bottom.

Ai, la S!

Oh, the S!

Si és que notes com et va pujant tot,

If you feel everything rising within you,

no pots parar de dir sí, perquè la S és afirmativa.

you can't stop saying yes, because S is affirmative.

I quan et preguntes si en vols més,

And when you ask yourself if you want more,

no pots dir-li altra cosa.

you can't tell him anything else.

Sí.

Yes.

L'abassadari no llegiu.

The embassy does not read.

Un podcast patrocinat avui per la lletra S.

A podcast sponsored today by the letter S.

El Gabinet de Curiositats de Joan Vigó.

The Cabinet of Curiosities of Joan Vigó.

En aquests dies nefastos de guerra, inflació i crisi climàtica,

In these dreadful days of war, inflation, and climate crisis,

m'ha semblat oportú extreure del meu gabinet de curiositats

I found it appropriate to take out of my cabinet of curiosities.

un exemple d'allò que OM anomena sostenibilitat.

an example of what OM calls sustainability.

Una sostenibilitat, abans de lletra, si ho podem dir així,

A sustainability, before letter, if we can say so,

perquè avui ens visita Xavier de Mestre,

because today we are visited by Xavier de Mestre,

escrit Xavier de Maistre,

written by Xavier de Maistre,

que va viure a cavall entre els segles XVIII i XIX,

who lived between the 18th and 19th centuries,

època en què els conceptes sostenibilitat,

era in which the concepts of sustainability,

cap a dos anys, i la sostenibilitat,

towards two years, and sustainability,

cap a dos o biodiversitat,

towards two or biodiversity,

eren tan exòtics com ho podien ser gigabyte, DJ o microplàstic.

they were as exotic as gigabyte, DJ, or microplastic could be.

Xavier de Mestre va ser un militar, pintor i escriptor saboyà en llengua francesa.

Xavier de Mestre was a military man, painter, and writer from Savoy who wrote in French.

La seva obra més famosa és, sens dubte,

His most famous work is, without a doubt,

Voyage autour de ma chambre,

Voyage around my room,

viatge al voltant de la meva habitació,

journey around my room,

que es va publicar el 1794,

which was published in 1794,

sense que constés autoria a la primera edició,

without any authorship noted in the first edition,

sufragada pel seu germà, el filòsof contrarrevolucionari,

supported by her brother, the counter-revolutionary philosopher,

Josep de Maistre.

Joseph de Maistre.

Va escriure el llibre a Turí,

He wrote the book in Turin.

mentre complia un arrest domiciliari de 42 dies

while serving a 42-day house arrest

a què el va condemnar l'autoritat militar per haver-se batut en dol.

What was he condemned to by the military authority for having fought in mourning?

L'obligat confinament, relatiu,

The enforced confinement, relative,

ja que l'acompanyaven la seva estimada gosseta Rosin

since his beloved little dog Rosin accompanied him

i el seu criat Joanetti,

and his servant Joanetti,

va propiciar que Xavier de Maistre deixés vagar la seva imaginació

it prompted Xavier de Maistre to let his imagination wander.

i escrivís aquest clàssic indiscutible

and wrote this undisputed classic

que ha envellit de manera admirable.

that has aged admirably.

L'elegant executiu,

The elegant executive,

exemplar del meu gabinet, editat per Fonambulista,

copy of my cabinet, published by Fonambulista,

conté la traducció de l'obra per Puerto Anadón,

it contains the translation of the work by Puerto Anadón,

una semblança de Xavier de Maistre

a likeness of Xavier de Maistre

feta pel famós crític del XIX, Sant Bef,

made by the famous critic of the 19th century, Saint Bef,

escrit per l'edició de 1839,

written for the 1839 edition,

i un posfaci de la Cruz Basols,

and a postface by Cruz Basols,

el seu torn traductor de la semblança esmentada.

the translator's turn of the mentioned resemblance.

El genial relat l'Alef, Borges,

The brilliant tale The Aleph, Borges,

cita l'esmentada obra i ens parla de la

cites the mentioned work and talks to us about the

«vagatela inmortal que nos deparan los ocios de la pluma del saboyano».

"Immortal vagueness that the leisure of the pen of the Savoyard presents to us."

Xavier de Maistre va néixer

Xavier de Maistre was born

a la Sevoia, però la seva vida va transcorre

in Sevoia, but her life unfolded

entre Nàpols i Rússia, principalment.

between Naples and Russia, mainly.

Només va visitar París una vegada, als 73 anys,

He only visited Paris once, at the age of 73.

on va descobrir, amb sorpresa,

it was discovered, with surprise,

que era un autor de gran èxit,

who was a highly successful author,

cosa que mai no havia ni imaginat ni pretès.

something that I had never even imagined or intended.

Quan va ser arrestat era un jove oficial en actiu

When he was arrested, he was a young active officer.

i també havia protagonitzat un audaç i accidentat volenglobus.

and I had also starred in a bold and eventful hot air balloon flight.

Després es guanyaria la vida a Rússia com a pintor

Later he would earn a living in Russia as a painter.

i, reprenent la seva carrera militar,

and, resuming his military career,

va arribar a ser nomenat general pel Tsar Alexandre I.

he was appointed general by Tsar Alexander I.

L'obra canonitzada per Xavier de Maistre,

The work canonized by Xavier de Maistre,

l'obra que ens ocupa és breu,

the work at hand is brief,

dotada d'un elegant sentit de l'humor

endowed with an elegant sense of humor

que han comparat amb el de Lorenz Stern,

that they have compared with that of Lorenz Stern,

amb notes líriques destacables.

with notable lyrical notes.

S'hi inclouen també les reflexions sobre la relació

It also includes reflections on the relationship.

entre la bèstia i l'ànima que tots portem a dins

between the beast and the soul that we all carry within

i, per sobre de tot, deixa volar la imaginació

And above all, let your imagination soar.

alegrament, sense un pla prefixat,

cheerfully, without a preset plan,

com el desordenat vol d'una mosca narcotitzada.

like the disorderly flight of a drugged fly.

Descriu els seus pensaments, costums, mobles, gravats,

Describe their thoughts, customs, furniture, engravings.

tot allò que l'envolta com si viatgés per un país estrany.

everything around him as if he were traveling in a foreign country.

Un viatge interior que em recorda Pessoa,

An inner journey that reminds me of Pessoa,

que tant va viatjar sense moure's de Lisboa.

that traveled so much without leaving Lisbon.

I és a través d'aquest viatge immòbil

And it is through this immobile journey

que on pot arribar a entreveure amb certa claredat el tot,

that where one can begin to glimpse the whole with some clarity,

aquest constructe holístic del qual també ens parla

this holistic construct of which he/she also speaks to us

el protagonista del relat de Borges.

the protagonist of Borges' story.

Viatge al voltant de la meva habitació

Journey around my room.

és una obra qualificada d'encantadora,

it is a work described as enchanting,

l'aparença senzillesa de la qual li atorga

the apparent simplicity of which it grants to him/her

l'estatus de clàssic que mereix l'atenció

the classic status that deserves attention

de tot l'actor apassionat.

of all the passionate actor.

Un homenatge radical a la imaginació,

A radical homage to imagination,

aquell recurs tan útil al qual ens aferrem

that useful resource we cling to

per poder surar entre les misèries que ens envolten.

to be able to float amid the miseries that surround us.

I a banda d'aquestes consideracions literàries,

And apart from these literary considerations,

enllaço amb allò que us deia al principi.

I link back to what I was saying at the beginning.

Ara que tot ha de ser sostenible,

Now that everything has to be sustainable,

que les emissions de CO2 estan acabant amb el planeta,

that CO2 emissions are destroying the planet,

què us sembla si tots fem una mica com en Xavier de Mestre?

What do you think if we all do a little like Xavier de Mestre?

Oblideu-vos del vol a gust,

Forget about the flight at your convenience,

oblideu-vos per uns dies de l'esclavatge voluntari

forget about voluntary slavery for a few days

de mirar-vos el puto mòbil.

from looking at your fucking phone.

Tanqueu-vos a la vostra habitació

Lock yourselves in your room.

i penseu en tot allò que hi ha.

And think about everything that is there.

Deixeu bagarrejar la vostra imaginació,

Let your imagination roam free,

vedeu, recordeu, inventeu,

see, remember, invent

repasseu tots els llibres, mobles, objectes i imatges

review all the books, furniture, objects, and images

que omplen les parells del vostre habitacle.

that fill the pairs of your cabin.

No cal viatjar.

No need to travel.

El viatge és dins vostre.

The journey is within you.

Esperoneu les vostres mandroses neurones

Wake up your lazy neurons.

i feu el favor de fer un viatge al voltant de la vostra habitació.

Please do the favor of taking a trip around your room.

Sereu més savis

You will be wiser.

i no contribuireu a l'escalfament global del planeta.

and you will not contribute to the global warming of the planet.

Feu cas a Xavier de Mestre quan ens diu

Pay attention to Xavier de Mestre when he tells us

el plaer que on sent viatjant per la seva habitació

the pleasure of feeling while traveling through his room

és lliure de l'enveja inquieta dels homes

is free from the restless envy of men

i és independent de la seva fortuna.

and is independent of his fortune.

El poema misteriós

The mysterious poem

és el poema misteriós.

it is the mysterious poem.

Sense la nit,

Without the night,

què faríem les ombres

what would we do the shadows

quan caminem per les deixes del sol?

When do we walk through the remnants of the sun?

On abocar, si no hi fos el silenci,

Upon pouring, if it weren't for the silence,

tot l'odi que s'ofega dins els mots,

all the hatred that drowns within the words,

la veritat on naufraguen els savis?

The truth where the wise drown?

Si no fos l'escriptura,

If it weren't for writing,

com ho faríem per desaparèixer?

How would we make ourselves disappear?

Sabeu de qui és el poema misteriós?

Do you know whose the mysterious poem is?

Si els endevineu tots,

If you guess them all,

podreu participar en el sorteig d'un lot de llibres

you will be able to participate in the raffle of a set of books

que farem al final de la temporada.

what we will do at the end of the season.

Només cal que envieu les respostes a

You just need to send the answers to

abecedari arroba no llegiu punt cat abans del 15 de juliol.

alphabet @ do not read point cat before July 15.

Serà com una lliga regular

It will be like a regular league.

i qui més poetes encerti, més punts tindrà.

And whoever guesses more poets will have more points.

Sense la nit, què faríem les ombres

Without the night, what would the shadows do?

quan caminem per les deixes del sol?

When do we walk through the remnants of the sun?

Sense la nit, diu el poeta al primer vers,

"Without the night, says the poet in the first verse,"

si no fos pel silenci, què faríem?

If it weren't for the silence, what would we do?

Afegeix el tercer vers.

Add the third verse.

Si no fos per l'escriptura, com ho faríem?

If it weren't for writing, how would we do it?

Diu en el penúltim vers.

It says in the penultimate verse.

El poema repeteix doncs aquests tres sense,

The poem therefore repeats these three without,

sense la nit, sense el silenci

without the night, without the silence

o si no fos sense l'escriptura

or if it weren't for writing

o si no fos per l'escriptura.

or if it weren't for writing.

I la resta de versos que segueixen els tres sense

And the rest of the verses that follow the three without

són tots ells preguntes.

they are all questions.

Sense la nit, què faríem les ombres?

Without the night, what would the shadows do?

Sense el silenci, on abocaríem l'odi, la veritat?

Without silence, where would we pour our hatred, the truth?

Sense l'escriptura, com ho faríem per desaparèixer?

Without writing, how would we disappear?

Així doncs, veiem que nit, silenci i escriptura

Thus, we see that night, silence, and writing.

calen, ens calen.

we need, we need them.

Però per què ens calen?

But why do we need them?

El subjecte de la frase el trobem ja al primer vers.

The subject of the sentence is found in the first verse.

Les ombres, què faríem?

The shadows, what would we do?

Nosaltres, en Sinclou, què faríem les ombres?

We, in Sinclou, what would we do the shadows?

Sinclou, la veu poètica.

Sinclou, the poetic voice.

Sense la nit, què faríem les ombres?

Without the night, what would the shadows do?

Podem pensar ombres com a persones,

We can think of shadows as people,

què faríem les persones?

What would we do as people?

Què faríem els poetes?

What would we poets do?

Què faríem els que escrivim sense la nit?

What would those of us who write do without the night?

Les ombres entre les quals el poeta Sinclou.

The shadows between which the poet Sinclou.

El poeta és una d'aquestes ombres

The poet is one of these shadows.

que camina per les aixalles del sol.

that walks along the sunbeams.

Per tant, en oposició amb el medi de la llum, és foscor.

Therefore, in opposition to the medium of light, it is darkness.

No de bades, el poema diu al final,

It's no joke, the poem says at the end,

si no fos l'escriptura, com ho faríem per desaparèixer?

If it weren't for writing, how would we disappear?

El poeta és l'ombra que camina en les eixes del sol

The poet is the shadow that walks in the rays of the sun.

i s'empara en la nit per desaparèixer foscor

"and it seeks refuge in the night to disappear darkness"

dins de la foscor, com ho faria si no sense la nit?

within the darkness, how would I do it if not without the night?

I també s'empara en el silenci,

And it also takes refuge in silence,

si no fos pel silenci.

if it weren't for the silence.

I aquí ve la segona pregunta del poema.

And here comes the second question of the poem.

On abocaries si no tot l'odi

You would pour out all the hatred if not.

que s'ofega dins els mots,

that drowns within the words,

la veritat on naufraguen els savis?

The truth where the wise shipwreck?

És bonic com el poema ens explica aquí

It's beautiful how the poem tells us here.

la tasca poètica en el fons.

the poetic task in essence.

En l'escriptura hi aboquem l'odi

In writing, we pour our hatred.

i la veritat,

and the truth,

que l'odi s'ofegava dins els mots

that the hate was drowned within the words

i en la veritat naufragaven els savis.

And in truth, the wise were sinking.

Ofegar-se i naufragar dos verbs

To drown and to shipwreck two verbs

del mateix camp semàntic

of the same semantic field

que ens fan pensar

that make us think

que sense la nit i el silenci

that without the night and the silence

ens ofegaríem, naufragaríem,

we would drown, we would sink,

d'odi i de veritat

of hate and truth

no tindríem on abocar-ho tot això.

we wouldn't have anywhere to pour all of this.

Aboquem, el verb és abocar,

We pour, the verb is to pour.

el full,

the sheet,

i és així com ho fem, atenció,

And this is how we do it, attention,

per desaparèixer.

to disappear.

La darrera paraula del poema és clau,

The last word of the poem is key,

sense l'escriptura com ho faríem

without writing, how would we do it?

per desaparèixer? El poeta sombra dins la nit,

to disappear? The shadow poet in the night,

on pot per tant desaparèixer?

Where can one therefore disappear?

El poeta du l'odi i la veritat

The poet carries hatred and truth.

que ofeguen al silenci

that drown in silence

també és la desaparició.

it is also the disappearance.

I el poema organitza el seu sentit

And the poem organizes its meaning.

a l'entorn d'aquests tres sense,

around these three senses,

que en el fons són tres amb.

that deep down there are three with.

No és si jo dic sense la nit

It is not if I say without the night.

com m'ho faria?

How would I do it?

Si no fos pel silenci com m'ho faria?

If it weren't for the silence, how would I manage?

Si no fos per l'escriptura com m'ho faria?

If it weren't for writing, how would I manage?

És perquè tinc nit,

It's because I have a night.

tinc silenci

I have silence.

i tinc escriptura

I have writing.

i el que temo és no tenir-los

And what I fear is not having them.

com m'ho faria sense tot això?

how would I manage without all this?

Per tant, el poeta ens està dient

Therefore, the poet is telling us

que nit, silenci

what a night, silence

i escriptura hi són,

and writing are there,

que són els seus aliats,

what their allies are,

que gràcies a tots ells, nit, silenci

that thanks to all of them, night, silence

i escriptura van alhora,

writing and reading go hand in hand,

el poeta pot ser l'ombra que és,

the poet can be the shadow that he is,

una ombra inadaptada dins de la llum,

an unadapted shadow within the light,

però que pot desaparèixer tot caminant

but everything can disappear while walking

dins de la nit, dins el silenci,

within the night, within the silence,

dins el full.

inside the sheet.

Què faríem els poetes sense el full?

What would poets do without the page?

L'abassadari no llegiu.

The embassy does not read.

Un podcast per prendre en petites dosis,

A podcast to take in small doses,

de forma pausada i relaxada.

in a slow and relaxed manner.

Atenció, atenció!

Attention, attention!

Missatge per a tota la ciutadania!

Message for all citizens!

El Troll de la Ista interromp aquesta missió

The Troll of the Ista interrupts this mission.

per fer un comunicat urgent de gran importància!

to issue an urgent statement of great importance!

Jo só i

I am and

esa

that

silenci

silence

s'atrepa

to climb

en silenci

in silence

millor que s'atrepa

better that it climbs

cagar-la

to mess it up

s'omptuari

s'ombrer

s'entuari, s'entificat

it will be noted, it will be identified

i el vostre nom i el meu.

and your name and mine.

Que la essa sorda o sonora

Whether the 's' is voiceless or voiced.

us sonin diferents

they sound different to you

i que el pes de la soca seca

and that the weight of the dry log

caigui amb suavitat

fall gently

damunt de les sàvies,

above the wise,

sucoses i salades.

juicy and salty.

L'abassadari no llegiu.

The ambassadory do not read.

La utilitat d'allò inútil.

The usefulness of the useless.

El relat de Fidel Masreal,

The story of Fidel Masreal,

autor del bloc de contes,

author of the blog of stories,

ho dubto.

I doubt it.

Diuen que em tanco a mi mateix,

They say I close myself off.

que dono voltes en una espiral sense fi,

that I turn in an infinite spiral,

que sóc incapaç de sortir del meu món,

that I am incapable of leaving my world,

del meu jo.

of my self.

Diuen que he de canviar,

They say I have to change,

que és pel meu propi bé,

that it's for my own good,

que així no es pot viure,

that you can't live like this,

que no connecto,

that I don't connect,

que no em deixo anar,

that I don’t let go,

que no experimento els plaers

that I do not experience pleasures

ni els sentits de la vida en abundància,

nor the senses of life in abundance,

que estic equivocat,

that I am wrong,

que vivint de forma imperveable

that living imperviously

no es viu, es sobreviu

One does not live, one survives.

i que així tot els cops i les hòsties

and so all the punches and the blows

m'arribaran igual o pitjor,

they will reach me the same or worse,

m'arribaran pitjor

they will reach me worse

perquè no els hauré pogut afrontar,

because I will not have been able to face them,

preveure, mirar de cara.

foresee, look straight ahead.

Ets com un cercle recargolat

You are like a curled-up circle.

en una sola idea,

in a single idea,

un sol ésser, un sol nord,

one sole being, one sole north,

que no és nord, ni és sud, ni és ni oest.

that is neither north, nor south, nor east nor west.

Em diuen.

They call me.

Em miro, miro les formes,

I look at myself, I look at the shapes,

per les que transito,

for the ones I go through,

i de cop me n'adono.

And suddenly I realize.

Fins ara no havia mirat.

Until now I hadn't looked.

No caminava conscient,

I didn't walk consciously,

només transitava i creia

I only traversed and believed.

que ho feia a gran velocitat,

that it was doing it at great speed,

audaç i imparable.

bold and unstoppable.

I en realitat era un buit.

And in reality, it was an emptiness.

Buit, buit.

Empty, empty.

Girant ara cap a la dreta,

Turning now to the right,

ara cap a l'esquerra.

now to the left.

I avui, per fi, jo sol,

And today, finally, I alone,

he sacsejat les corbes sinuoses

I have shaken the sinuous curves.

fins que s'han començat a desfer

until they have started to come apart

per un espai i per l'altre.

for one space and for the other.

Em sento despullat.

I feel exposed.

Em sento vulnerable,

I feel vulnerable,

em sento atacable,

I feel vulnerable,

abastable,

encompassing,

i alhora penso

and at the same time I think

que no hi ha res més sensual.

that there is nothing more sensual.

No hi ha res més dolç,

There is nothing sweeter,

més subtil,

more subtle,

més seductor,

more seductive,

res més suau.

nothing softer.

Abans era un buit,

Before it was an emptiness,

ara sóc una essa.

now I am an s.

Saps sentir-ho?

Can you feel it?

Els relats de Fidel Masreal

The stories of Fidel Masreal

els podeu trobar al blog Uducto

You can find them on the Uducto blog.

i els poemes i llibres d'aquest capítol

and the poems and books of this chapter

a nolegiu.cat

to rent.cat

L'abassadari no llegiu.

The embassy does not read.

Un podcast dirigit per Xavier Casanovas

A podcast directed by Xavier Casanovas.

amb direcció editorial de Xavier Vidal

with editorial direction by Xavier Vidal

i direcció sonora d'Helena Martínez

and sound direction by Helena Martínez

amb el suport del Departament de Cultura

with the support of the Department of Culture

de la Generalitat de Catalunya.

of the Government of Catalonia.

Han col·laborat en aquest capítol

They have collaborated in this chapter.

Nil Martín,

Nil Martín,

Joan Vigó,

Joan Vigó,

Laura López Granell

Laura López Granell

i Fidel Masreal.

and Fidel Masreal.

Ens podeu seguir a nolegiu.cat

You can follow us at nolegiu.cat.

i a les xarxes socials

and on social networks

X, Facebook i Instagram.

X, Facebook, and Instagram.

Fins demà!

See you tomorrow!