# Chapter XXXV explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Fernando Pessoa.

## What happens

The speaker concludes his lament, acknowledging his failures and the weight of his heart. He reflects on the outward world's indifference to his inner sorrow, and resigns himself to the idea that all outcomes are predetermined by fate and the stars, rendering personal will meaningless.

## Themes in this chapter

### Fate and Free Will

The speaker questions the value of personal effort, concluding that fate and the stars govern all, rendering will powerless.

### Self and Identity

The speaker contrasts his inner sorrow with the outward world's joy, defining himself by his failures and his separation from the 'not-I'.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown

The speaker expresses personal failure and sorrow, reflecting on his own heart and will.

### Fate

Fate is invoked as the overarching force that determines all outcomes, including the speaker's failures.

## Key lines

> I, that have failed in everything, bewail Nothing this hour but that I have bewailed

I, who have failed at everything, now only lament the fact that I have been lamenting.

_The speaker reflects on the futility of his own sorrow._

> Whatever hap or stop, what matters it, Sith to the mattering our will bringeth nought?

Whatever happens or doesn't happen, what does it matter, since our will contributes nothing to what matters?

_The speaker dismisses the significance of human will in the face of fate._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_6_se/chapters/xxxv
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_6_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_6_se/chapters