O Captain! my Captain!

Have you watched "Dead Poets Society"? In the end of the movie, there is a famous scene in which the guys stand over their desks and shout "O Captain! my Captain!" in recognition to Mr. Keating, their former English teacher who got unfairly sacked. Anyway, it's one of the most famous scenes ever! But do you know where the idea of a "captain" comes from in poetry? It comes from Walt Whitman's poem "O Captain! my Captain!", which was written in 1865, just after president Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Then, we can assume that the dead captain represents Lincoln and, of course, the victorious ship is a metaphor to the US after the Civil War. I advise you to listen to the poem declamation as you read it.

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:

But O heart! heart! heart!

O the bleeding drops of red,

Where on the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills;
For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;

Here Captain! dear father!

This arm beneath your head;

It is some dream that on the deck,

You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won;

Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!

But I, with mournful tread,

Walk the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.

 Cool, right? Special thanks to Carol(Postcrossing).
For more info, check the American Library of Congress website. And for the Portuguese version, click here.

O Captain! my Captain!

Você já viu aquele filme "Sociedade dos Poetas Mortos"? No final dele, há uma famosa cena em que os garotos sobem em cima das carteiras e clamam "O Captain! my Captain!" para homenagear seu professor, Sr. Keating, que fora demitido injustamente.  É uma das cenas mais famosas do cinema. Mas você sabia da onde veio a referência a "Captain"? Bem, veio de um poema escrito por Walt Whitman em 1865, por ocasião do assassinato do presidente Abraham Lincoln. Dessa forma, a figura do Capitão do navio, morto, representaria o presidente assassinado e, o navio vitorioso, os EUA que acabavam de sair da Guerra Civil. Ouça a declamação do poema enquanto vc lê.

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:

But O heart! heart! heart!

O the bleeding drops of red,

Where on the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills;
For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;

Here Captain! dear father!

This arm beneath your head;

It is some dream that on the deck,

You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won;

Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!

But I, with mournful tread,

Walk the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.

Encontrei uma tradução bem legal(autoria de Luciano Meira):
Ó Capitão ! meu Capitão ! Finda é a temível jornada,
                Vencida cada tormenta, a busca foi laureada.
                O porto é ali, os sinos ouvi, exulta o povo inteiro.
                Com o olhar na quilha estanque do vaso ousado e austero.
                 
                            Mas ó coração, coração !
                            O sangue mancha o navio,
                            No convés, meu Capitão
                            Vai caído, morto e frio.

                Ó Capitão ! meu Capitão ! Ergue-te ao dobre dos sinos;
                Por ti se agita o pendão e os clarins tocam seus hinos.
                Por ti buquês, guirlandas...Multidões a praias lotam.
                Teu nome é o que elas clamam; para ti os olhos voltam.

                             Capitão, querido pai,
                             Dormes no braço macio...
                             É meu sonho que ao convés
                             Vais caído morto e frio.

                 Ah! meu Capitão  não fala, foi do lábio o sopro expulso,
                 Meu calor meu pai não sente, já não tem vontade ou
                                                            /   pulso.
                 Da nau ancorada e ilesa, a jornada é concluída.
                 E lá vem ela em triunfo da viagem antes temida.

                              Povo, exulta ! Sino, dobra !
                              Mas meu passo é tão sombrio...
                              No convés meu Capitão
                              Vai caído, morto e frio.

Legal, né?
Para mais informações, visite o site da Biblioteca do Congresso dos EUA. Referência. Versão em Inglês.