Anaphora and duality in the poetry of Os Anjos

The trial between Os Anjos and Joana Marques began this week. The duo accuses the comedian of “taking a video in which they appear singing out of context”. However, while they are busy defending the singers, many have forgotten what would be the fairest compensation for the damages caused: not only contextualizing the performance in question, but, above all, the entire poetic work of Os Anjos . It is just a shame that the national Portuguese exam has already passed, as I believe that this would be an excellent tool.

In fact, what stands out, at first glance, in the aesthetics of the poetic work of The Angels is, on the one hand, the innovative use of anaphora, and, on the other, the creative resumption of duality as a trait of lyrical expressiveness. Like Proust, the duo seeks to relive the past and escape loneliness (“I want to return / To the starting point”, “I don’t want to be alone anymore”, “I don’t want to write the end of this song”), and hence the relevance of the use of repetition as a form of emphasis and as a creation of musicality (“Forgive me if I ask too much (…) Forgive me if I want to give myself”, “I am here, here to tell you / I am here, here to adore you / I am here, here to tell you”, “I will stay closer to the sky / I will stay closer to the sea”). Just like Walt Whitman, in Leaves of Grass , The Angels intend to hypnotize the reader, reaffirming a love that does not accept silence. Which, for younger generations, ends up being a positive reinforcement in the face of the obsessive experience of love. An issue that certainly influenced this work not being considered as part of the National Reading Plan.

But back to the analysis. It is important, then, to understand the relevance of the use of duality in the canon of poetry in Os Anjos . In fact, far from a sterile Manichaeism, the Rosado brothers constantly resort to pairs to decipher and clarify the message of the poetic composition. “You were my sea, I wanted to be your sun” or “I will stay closer to the sky, I will stay closer to the sea”, are clear examples of this. But this duality is not merely external. The lyrical subject is, at the same time, “the one who neither forgets nor forgives”, and the one who asks in desperation: “forgive / before time runs out”.

However, those who think that time has not had its effect on the lyrical subject are mistaken. When they began their poetic-musical career, Os Anjos managed to mix direct language and hyperbole. The simplicity of the title – “Ficarei”, “Perdoa”, “Quero voltar” – contrasted, then, with the impetus present within the lyrical structure – “Teus olhos em mim são fatalais”, “Tudo foiste o meu mar / Quis ser o teu sol”, “Antes que o tempo se acabe / Perdoa”. But, in 2018, with the songs “Eterno” and “Tempo” – notice how the title itself is closer to the abstract concept – the poetic self is already more mature, bringing with it a clear message of reconciliation and respect for the freedom of the beloved: “Don't promise what you can't give”. So much so that, in 2024, even more mature and, in a certain way, resigned, he feels ready to declare bluntly: “Even though I know you’re no longer here.”

A little-noticed detail in this context is the following: it is precisely this characteristic that opens the poetic work of The Angels to intertextuality. What is consequently proposed by the duo is, in fact, a deliberate antagonism to Flaubert, in an alternative version of Madame Bovary , in the same way that Joyce dialogued with Homer, in Ulysses . Like Emma Bovary, the Angels appear, at the beginning, restless, believing in a captivating and sublime love. But unlike her, they end up reconciled with the impossibility of an ideal love. It is true that The Angels would agree with Emma, ​​when she, at the end of the novel, understands that love was empty, the luxury fleeting, and the society she tried so hard to seduce ignores her, but the proposal of the lyrical subject is the antipodes of that carried out by the French author.

Ultimately, this poetic-musical work is the Dostoevsky that Portugal deserves. Just like Raskolnikov, the main character of Crime and Punishment , the poetic self of The Angels , even with his internal evolution, is always someone torn apart by guilt, loss and meaninglessness, finding himself in search of redemption, always far away, always distant, always inaccessible, which provides future scholars with clues about the possible relationships between this work and that of Franz Kafka.

It is understandable to wonder why a cleric is concerned about this case. On the one hand, nothing could be more obvious: Jesus told us to share our fate with the marginalized. And if this goes wrong, I might end up in the same pew as Joana Marques. Furthermore, I want to ensure that freedom of expression remains alive. I want to continue to say things that may be offensive and radical — like, for example, those written in the Gospels, even if they hurt people.

Unfortunately, among so many authors and quotes, I certainly won't have the pleasure of receiving the praise that Raquel Varela gave Joana Marques yesterday. In a post, she characterized her mood as “resentful” and the result of “poor development of higher psychic functions”. In other words: basically what Gustavo Santos has been saying since 2019. Academia has really seen better days.

PS : In the same text, Raquel Varela states that laughter is “a weapon of utopia”. And further on she says: that is why “fascists are always angry and the Church hates laughter”. It is worth adding: it is obvious. But this presentation of the Church alongside Fascism is infamous, shameful and intellectually dishonest. As is reducing laughter to “a weapon of utopia”. Laughter exists to make people laugh, not to serve masters and ideologies. It has no agenda, no hidden intentions. Period.