Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Portuguese term or phrase:
Eu e quem sei não ser
English translation:
I and the one I don't know how to be
Portuguese term
United States
BA in Transl., MA in ESL, 15 yrs of exp.
Native in: Portuguese 
Works in: English to Portuguese, Portuguese to English, Spanish to Portuguese, and 2 more.
Eu e quem sei não ser
A festa volte a ser.
Ficaram entre as sombras
Das áleas apertadas
Eu e quem sei não ser.
-- Fernando Pessoa
He's talking about a weird party. I think "exist" is a good translation for "ser". Not sure, though, where to place "not".
1) I and who I know not to exist OR 2) I and who I know to not exist OR 3) either way?
I considered "someone" and "the one" instead of "who", but discarded both because it would make the line too long compared to the rest.
L2: EN_US
Register: poetic
| 4 +1 | I and the one I don't know how to be |
Ana Celikovic
|
| 3 +1 | I and who I know I am not. |
Ligia Dias Costa
|
| 4 | I and whom I know not |
Nick Taylor
|
| 3 +1 | I and who I believe not to be |
Heli Alves (X)
|
Apr 29, 2022 13:11: Oliver Simões changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/2407412">Oliver Simões's</a> old entry - "Eu e quem sei não ser"" to ""I and the one I don't know how to be""
Apr 29, 2022 13:11: Oliver Simões changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/2407412">Oliver Simões's</a> old entry - "Eu e quem sei não ser"" to ""I and the one I don\'t know how to be""
Proposed translations
United Kingdom
Astronomy, Art, Customer service
Native in: Croatian 
Works in: English to Croatian, Portuguese to Croatian, Croatian to English, and 3 more.
I and the one I don't know how to be
| Thank you, Ana. I'm leaning towards this interpretation unless I am convinced otherwise. |
Portugal
Translating with care
Native in: Portuguese (Variants: Brazilian, Cape Verdean, European/Portugal, Mozambican, Angolan)
Works in: English to Portuguese, French to Portuguese, Spanish to Portuguese, and 3 more.
I and who I know I am not.
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Note added at 28 minutos (2022-04-27 15:47:40 GMT)
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"Não ser" is the direct complement of the verb "sei". What does he know? He know who he is not.
This is a tricky sentence is Portuguese.
| In the previous stanza, he mentioned "eu e sem mim", so here it seems like he is talking about a third person. I agree with your comment about the implied subject being "I", but, in my view, it applies to "sei" only, not necessarily to "não ser". |
| Indeed, this is a tricky one, Lígia. I just posted a comment on the DB. I appreciate your comments/feedback. Thank you. |
Portuguese to English, English to Portug
Native in: English
Works in: Portuguese to English, English to Portuguese
I and whom I know not
Discussion
Está bem. Isto de conotação das palavras é um bocado complicado.
Saber é mais caregórico do que believe só este verbo é um pouco mais eufónico.
Afinal acreditar é saber. Eu acredito em Deus, sei que Deus existe.
Santas tardes
Believe – be certain of, be credulous, have no doubt… - BELIEVE Synonyms: 93 Synonyms & Antonyms for BELIEVE | Thesaurus.com
Imagine aquelas senhoras tímidas que não são capazes de dizer um piropo e quando vão para os fóruns da internet, é só declarações de amor profundo e sentido…
Portanto
3. Só eu, e eu sem mim (Only I, and I without myself)
4. Eu e quem sei não ser (I and ...?)
Ele está lá, sem ele, incarna um heterónimo que irá escrever sobre o assunto.
É assim o FP, tão profundo que só o começámos a ler quando os seus livros vinham do estrangeiro porque por cá ninguém o entendia…
Portanto a tradução do Heli Alves parece-me corresponder a esta minha ideia:
I and who I believe not to be
(Eu e quem sei não ser).
1. Eu e minha agonia (I and my agony)
2. Quem fui e quem sou (Who I was and who I am)
3. Só eu, e eu sem mim (Only I, and I without myself)
4. Eu e quem sei não ser (I and ...?)
There seems to be a progression in terms of the materiality of his being from 1 to 4. In 1, his self is clearly delineated between him and his agony. In 2, he sees himself in terms of linear time (he in the past and he in the present). In 3, he says that "only [he], and [he] without [him]self" was left at the party. Does this mean he was company-less or nobody was left?
I don't believe "I and whom I know not" is a viable option. It translates as "Eu e quem não sei/conheço". It seems like we are left with two possible interpretations for no. 4.
A) I and who I know I am not. (Eu e quem sei que não sou.)
B) I and who I know not how to be. (Eu e quem não sei ser.)
I'm leaning towards B. It seems to indicate the total annihilation of the self, a non-being so to speak. I'm thinking this could be a hyperbaton (i.e. an inversion in the order of the syntactic elements). He proably meant "Eu e quem não sei ser". I'd like to hear your guys' opinions/insights. Thank y'all.