The Cowboy Poets

No oeste dos Estados Unidos, bero da cultura western, a arte de compor

poesias permanece muito viva atravs dos cowboys. Parley Pearce,
montador e adestrador de cavalos em Oregon expe aqui sua potica.
By Julian Earwaker
The American West covers more than half of the USA and its history forms a
big part of American folklore. The country gradually expanded westwards(1)
in the nineteenth century and many of the heroes from those wild frontier
days were cowboys. Today the 13 western states remain the home of
ranching, riding and rodeos.
Real life for generations of cowboys has meant horses, cattle(2), open
country and hard, sometimes dangerous work. But the romance of life in the
saddle(3) has been kept alive through music, storytelling and poetry.
Indeed it has been said that the rhythm of poetry reflects that of riding.
Pat Beard comes from a well-known rodeo and ranching family in the state
of Washington. A former national rodeo finalist, he has 35 years experience
as a cowboy and horseman. He first learned cowboy poetry from his
grandfather, who emigrated from Holland to the American Northwest back in
1902:

Pat Beard
(Standard American accent):
He had saved some money working and bought a horse when he was 14,
ran away from home and went to Nevada. And on these ranches that he was
working there he had learned these poems. And so, as a small boy, he would
tell them to me and so Ive just kept them. And thats... while I say Im not
into poetry(4), these are things that, originally, I assume, they were told over
campfires(5) and things to pass the time away. And when youve got nothing
but hours riding alone(6), if youre a little crafty(7), you rhyme something(8),
and put it together, and a little bit about the romance of the west, whether it
was romance or not.

REINCARNATION!
As well as training horses, Pat Beard works as an adviser at Hamleys
outfitters(9) in the nearby town of Pendleton. This historic cowboy store has
been selling saddles, boots, hats and clothing for more than 100 years. The
current owner, Parley Pearce, took over the business in 2005. He too is from
a local ranching family and, as a young cowboy, used to visit Hamleys with
his father. Pearce enjoys cowboy poems, which he believes help to preserve
western life.

There is a lot of humor in cowboy poetry too, says Pearce. To give an

example he reads a favourite modern cowboy poem called Reincarnation:

Parley Pearce
(Standard American accent)
What does reincarnation mean?
A cowpoke(10) asked his friend.
His pal(11) replied: It happens when
Your life has reached its end.
They comb your hair, and
scrub your neck(12),
And clean your fingernails(13),
And lay you in a padded box(14)
Away from lifes travails(15).
The box and you goes in a hole,
Thats dug down(16) in the ground
And reincarnation starts in when
Youre planted neath that mound(17)
Those clods break down(18), just like the box,
And you who is inside.
And then youre just beginning
on that transformation ride.
And then with time, some grass will grow
Upon your rendered mound(19)
Till one day on your mouldered grave(20)
A lonely flower is found.
Then say some horse should
wander by(21)
And graze upon that flower(22)
That once was you, buts now become
Your vegetative bower(23).
This posy that the horse done ate
up(24), with his other feed(25),
Makes bone and fat and muscle(26),
Essential to the steed(27).
But some is left that he cant use
So it passes through,
And finally lays upon the ground
This thing that once was you.
Then say perchance I wanders by(28)

And sees this on the ground,

And I ponders and I wonders(29)
About this object that Ive found
I think of reincarnation
Of life and death, and such,
And I come away concluding, Slim,
You aint changed all that much!(30)

Cowboy Info:
The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering takes place in Elko, Nevada, in late
January every year. For further information, visit: www.westernfolklife.org
You can read the original poem Reincarnation and many other awardwinning cowboy poems by Wallace McRae in Cowboy Curmudgeon (Gibbs
Smith, 1992) ISBN: 0879054638, US$12.
For more details on the historic Hamleys store and range of cowboy
accessories, visit www.hamley.com
Listen to it

GLOSSARY
1 - westwards - em direo ao oeste.
2 - cattle - gado.
3 - the romance of life in the saddle - o mito da vida sobre selas.
4 - Im not into poetry - no sou apaixonado por poesia.
5 - over campfires - em volta da fogueira no acampamento.
6 - when... hours riding alone - quando no h nada mais a fazer seno
cavalgar sozinho horas a fio.
7 - crafty - engenhoso, esperto.
8 - you rhyme something - voc rima algumas palavras.
9 - outfitters - vendedores de acessrios e apetrechos.
10 - cowpoke - forma antiga para vaqueiro.
11 - his pal - seu companheiro.

12 - they comb your hair, scrub your neck - te penteiam, lavam tua
nuca.
13 - fingernails - unhas.
14 - padded box - caixo estofado.
15 - travails - tribulaes.
16 - dug down - escavado.
17 - neath that mound - debaixo daquele montinho (de terra), tmulo.
18 - those clods break down - torres de terra se decompem.
19 - upon your rendered mound - sobre sua terra esmigalhada.
20 - mouldered grave - tmulo em decomposio.
21 - say some horse should wander by - digamos que algum cavalo
passeie por ali.
22 - graze upon that flower - a pastar sobre aquela flor.
23 - bower - lugar de descanso.
24 - this posy... done ate up - essa florzinha que o cavalo comeu.
25 - feed - alimento.
26 - makes bone and fat and muscle - produz ossos, gordura e
msculos.
27 - steed - cavalo corpulento, varonil.
28 - then say perchance I wanders by - depois supondo que por acaso
eu passeasse por ali.
29 - and I ponders and I wonders - medito e fico pensando.
30 - Slim, you aint changed all that much! - Magro! Voc at que
no mudou muito!