The poem is a lament for the loss of innocence and the disillusionment with modernity. It expresses a sense of disconnection between the individual and society, as well as the fragmentation of human experience. The speaker reflects on the passing of time, the fleeting nature of life, and the impossibility of recapturing the past.
By Carlos Drummond de Andrade · First published 1940 · Genre: Poetry, Modernist, Social Commentary