"Pardon me." "I mistook you for another." "For someone who has already passed away." "When God decided to take you..." "I thought that, in all his wisdom and fairness, he was depriving me of my most cherished treasure, while forcing me to bolster the qualities that shape a man's character." "I would have to be more righteous... more aware... more generous... less cruel." "I would have to be faithful to your memory." "I'd have to be more like you." "Instead, I lost myself." "I did everything opposite." "When all cried, I just laughed, and tears crept up to my eyes when the moment was deemed for a roaring laugh." "I made heads roll and kicked many backsides." "I took vengeance for your loss on other men and women for no fault of their own." "I left a trail of corpses behind due to despair and cowardliness." "Wherever you are in paradise, you're surely vigilant and must know our daughters have become the greatest wonders of the kingdom." "No woman or man compares to them in graciousness, spirit, tenacity, innocence and kindness." "No one has but affection for them." "It was good God's wish to make them so, not punishing them for the ugliness of my crimes, my treacheries and my absences." "I fear that I may be put to the test for a second time... and again I may fail to have the strength or qualities to provide the answer." "The mad and bloodthirsty king to whom I swore obedience shall not be eternally satisfied without blood." "And even the most delightful creature, intelligent and seductive, will not be able to ensnare him in a maze of stories for much longer." "I know I can't bear the loss of Scheherazade and Dinazade, and I shall kill him first and then myself." "I hence find myself impotent, belonging to the expendables, with nothing to say... and nothing to tell." "My dear father, many nights I have been able to quench the thirst for blood of my husband, our sovereign." "This outcome I owe to luck, to some wit that God offered me and to the accomplished education you provided me with." "I thought time would soften this man's fierceness." "I'm afraid I have failed." "It appears to me that the king is tired and has no patience." "I believe he will soon chop off my head and the cycle of bloodshed will begin again with a new season of sacrificing virgins." "I am not writing to bemoan because I knew the rules since day one." "It would be foolish to lament a foreseeable fate." "I write so you can make any necessary arrangements." "I wish you far from this kingdom as soon as possible, and take with you my dear sister, Dinazade." "Missing you immensely in these last days will amount to nothing when compared to the joy of knowing you are safely away from this horror castle." " You look like you're washing clothes!" " Indeed!" "Deliver this to my father, the grand vizier, as quickly as possible." "I will be away from the palace for as long as there is sunlight." " What will you do, my lady?" " I'll do what I very well please." "Have you ever seen the flower of the thousand scents, as described by the botanists and sung by the poets?" "Right." "Neither have I." "To tell you the truth there are many things I have never seen." "One, two, three!" "Daddy, where do babies come from?" "They come from the will of the Almighty, who loves children very much because he recognizes in them the greatest aptitude to understand and appreciate what the world gives them." "If a tiger and a lion fight, who wins?" "A tiger and a lion?" " I don't have the faintest idea!" " Which one do you like best?" "The tiger." "That's wise." "The tiger is smart." "So smart that he would never fight a lion." "Why is there wind sometimes, and other times not?" "Why what?" "Why is there wind sometimes, and other times not?" "Because God teaches the seafarers that some days are good to sail and others are to remain patient." "Damned, this lady knows everything!" "My lady, what's the other side of the world like?" "There are rocks, sea, trees." "There are old men and children like you." "To see it, you need to be patient and very strong-willed." "Close your eyes and count to one thousand because the other side of the world is very far away." "One, two, three " "I'd like to buy all you have there." "These are all my children." "I enjoy seeing them play." "I feel very much in love." "Furthermore..." "I want to have a child with you." "What you just said was very stupid... and it was presented in an even more stupid manner." "In truth, I think you are quite foolish... although that's okay because you are somewhat radiant." "I'm honest but I don't want to make you sad... because your beauty gives me a little more hope in this atrocious world." "In a few years that beauty will vanish and nobody can save you." "But you'll have done your part by making everyone a little happier." "I offer you a piece of advice." "Happiness will be ever greater if you can remain silent." "Good-bye, child of the sun." "Go and procreate with others." "Scheherazade!" "Scheherazade!" "All right?" "I'm great!" "Why do you cry?" "Are you insane?" "Sometimes I feel sad." "Well, just like everyone else." " What do you do?" " I'm a thief." " Are you going to steal from me?" " No, because you are very beautiful." "But I will dance to make you happier." "Are you really going to sleep?" "Yes." "Sorry, you're very sweet, but I'm ever so sleepy." "Hey, this isn't a trash can!" "It's not all that fragrant!" "SCHEHERAZADE, SERIOUS FAMILY TALKS, NOW!" "It's a relief to know you're safe, away from the king's reach." "Our fate and yours are entwined." "If it happens as you fear, then that is what was destined for us." "Unfortunately what is written must unfold." "I don't think that the fate of men should be subjected to a madman." "It may be, at times." "Just as it may be their fate to see the coming of one who may confront them." "Someone with the spirit, tenderness and strength to suspend tyrannical gestures." "In recent nights, every tale I tell comes out sad and heavy." "That's why we are here!" "I am tired." "And this tiredness brings me anger!" "Anger is not a bad thing, if it's well directed." "Have a little fun!" " I think I no longer know how to." " You do." "But don't make too much of an effort." "I think I'm more foolish than I seem." "That's also expected, Scheherazade." "Okay, let's start from the beginning." "Where are stories born?" "They spring from the wishes and fears of man." "And what is their purpose?" "To help us to survive." "To bridge the time of the dead with the time of those to come." "We live in the age of King Shahryar and Scheherazade." "One could not exist without the other." "There is no antidote without its poison." "It'll be as hard for you as for me, as I'm your father." "But by the end of this turn you will have dried your eyes and be cunning and agile as a fox." "And you'll head to the palace to take your place and do what is unavoidable." "Watch, Queen." "Down below your servants await to carry you back to the palace... given that you still have stories to tell that the king wants to hear and that the people hope will never end." "O Auspicious King " "It's metal day today, heck!" "It's metal day today, man!" "A really good wash." "Alberto!" "That was Alberto!" "Son of a bitch, you're roguish, you are!" "And a cloth for you now?" "Mother!" "Pass me those cloths over there." "Those washed ones." "Mother, they're here, here!" "You're talking to yourself!" "Oh, patience." " So?" " Wait!" "You " "Just ask the cloths why you're taking so long." "I had a really good cloth here." "I knew it, you're hiding my cloths!" "I had a great one, damn." "It lit up and all!" "It lit up and all!" "You're wicked." "Hey, Bela!" "You okay, sweetie?" "Hey, when are we going for lunch?" "You never invite!" " Such bad temper you have lately!" " Take this spotty one." "No, that belongs to another." "I've never seen such badly washed cloths in my life!" "Have this one." "Rude, you are!" "No, this is the green cloth." "No, this is the right cloth." "This is the right one." "This one belongs to Golias." "Thanks!" "Good night!" " Fuck you!" " Fuck you too." "Fuck both of us." "But fuck you first." "Leave it, it's fine like this." "It looked like there were three." "Then it seemed like a third one landed." "One remained on the pine tree." "Before the bird of call returned." "The other one didn't want to come." "This one has hardly any birdlime." "There's a bit here but I'll take it off." "314 Papa, permission to takeoff." "Okay." "Permission to line up and takeoff on Runway 36." "Wind force 340,06 knots." "Lisbon Tower, this is 314 Papa." "Permission for immediate takeoff, please." "Cleared to takeoff, cleared for Runway 36, wind 340,06 knots." "The aircraft is out of the airport, on the approach to Runway 36, man." "Tell the fire brigade to go around." "Call the local brigade immediately, the ones from Charneca I think." "Dear friend, what is the approach?" "Man, it's the end of 36, already out of the airport." "The aircraft took off and crashed outside, man!" "I just got my wallet from the car and you were off!" "I thought you'd already gone with the boss." " The one with the ring?" " Red and black." "Seems that " "Is that the one?" "No, it's not." "This is a goldfinch." "Bastard!" "Ah, it's this one right here." "Right!" "Hold on." "It's just that the rest will copy his song." "They will if you keep him in there." "Come, Quitério." "Look at this bird." " It comes from around Santarém." " Santarém?" "I got trapped in the net!" " Hold on." " Just cut the sleeve, man!" "Let's hang it here, by the sunlight." "Just right." "You put 10 birds inside the cage, and you're lucky if you turn one to sing differently, maybe two." "But if you use CDs " "If the chaffinch is of good blood, or comes from a place where they sing well, then you're halfway there to turning the bird." "But not with CDs, no." "Think, Quitério." " Just go a few years back " " There was no need to turn them." "Right!" "Because the birds came from the countryside already with good songs learned from their parents." " There was no need to turn them." " Yeah, and no CDs, like now." "There is nothing like the bird feeling what's natural," "I.E. hearing another chaffinch." "I can tell right away." "You know a bird from a CD." "Birds don't even care about CDs." "They just play there, and it's all Greek to the birds." "CDs only have one good thing." "They bring back ancient songs... that you can only hear on CDs now." "Otherwise, if you have a good master singer, it's much better than having a CD." "No doubt." "But, well you know, Miguel likes that stuff." "And it's also a way of " "You know what they say." "If you can't hunt with a dog, use a cat." "I'm waiting for my older ones to turn one!" "You know this freezes sometimes." "If you don't like it just say so!" "This one is to edit together." "Look here, Shakira." "Here, here." "Give your owner a little lick." "Tell me, does it sound okay?" " It's good." " Sounds good, right?" "Yes." "I'll save this one." " That's a iak-iak-iak keak." " Yeah." "Let's hear another one." "You can make two songs out of that one." "Really?" "How?" "Like a ak-iak-iak chi-kuik." "Or a iak-iak-iak, chee-yew-kuik." "I'm not keen on the tuning." "Or turn them into a third song." "Or another one." "I made this song but don't like it." "This one was the mating bird that died." "Of course, he didn't sing all this." "I changed it." "I wished " "But you can't make the dragged sound." "No, I can't make that." "I don't know the shrill." "A real dragged one!" "Not bad, hey?" " It's good." " I wish I could turn one like this!" "Did you notice the change of song there?" "Here." "I'll drink from the bottle so I don't need a glass." " The spuds from the Chinese grocers are tasty!" " They are." "But I'm not hungry." "Watch what you're doing!" " Will you take care of mine?" " Yours?" "Of course!" "These are all yours, right?" " Yes." " Okay, then." "Pass us the pin, son." "TO THE MEMORY OF MANUEL JOSÉ TEIXEIRA" " AKA "CREAM" - 1961-2013" "ETERNALLY MISSED BY HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN, GRANDCHILDREN," "SISTER-IN-LAW, SISTER AND BROTHER-IN-LAW" "A little more food." " And your birds, are they singing yet?" " They're good." "They're just starting now." "Spring is arriving, everything sets off." "And up there?" "Up there in Camarate." "You forgot?" "You even fainted!" " You're the one who fainted!" " But that bird wasn't competing!" "The hell not!" "I was expecting my bird to belt out hard around 4:00 PM." " You wanted him to faint and all." " No, I even left and everything!" "Didn't you punch the table?" "He's there, sick and vomiting." "My brother was like, "Hey, bro, I'm here with you!"" "Man, when we get the heebie-jeebies, no chance!" "You're better now." "Is that from the tablets?" "I remember perfectly well " " What?" " He's been told!" "When we were kids - "What will you be when you grow up?"" "When his turn came, he said, "My dream is to be a chaffinch!"" "And you?" "And you?" "That's why he fainted, up there in the contest." "He wanted to become a goldfinch." "He fainted in the contest because of what happened to the chaffinch." "He wanted to be a goldfinch." "My dream is to be a goldfinch." "And now in Antena 1, we have António Jorge in another edition of Antena Aberta." "Good morning, António." "Good morning, Augusto Fernandes." "Last night there were tense moments during the security forces demonstration in front of the parliament, when the protesting police agents knocked down the barriers and broke the police cordon, then climbed the steps that lead to the entrance of the assembly building " "The police force on duty made the best decision to avoid an open battle." "This action has indeed received the support of Paulo Rodrigues, also interviewed live this morning." "Paulo is a representative of the police union." "Let us remind ourselves of these moments with a piece by the Antena 1 reporter who accompanied the events on the footsteps of parliament." "Always the same guys." "That guy entered the scene and screwed it." " Who?" " Rui Areias." "If they can sing, I'll tell you, I'll get them into shape." "But if they can't, tough luck!" "In a fortnight to a month I'll let you know if they can "bark" or not." "I have to rent a bigger apartment this year." "Buy a house then!" "Where am I going to put the birds?" "Just for the birds!" " What about my trophies?" " What trophies?" "Those I won." "My apartment is full of them." "And mine." "I've got around 30." "I don't know, man." "Everyone has trophies." "My mother, my nephew, my sister." "I'm full of trophies." "Like me." "Trophies scattered everywhere." "Two golden rings!" "And a silver one." "Is that enough for you?" "They're not mine, really." "They're his." "No, you didn't win." "When?" "Two years ago?" "I've been winning ever since I started." " Not in that place." " Where?" "Remember that bird I've had for a year, singing two songs?" " Alves won it!" " Alves came along at the end, made it into the first five and then walked the final!" " It's still early." " It's an old bird, man." "You know it hasn't been hot enough yet." "The weather changed today, though." "Okay, but it's been only a couple of days!" "Not enough to fill up the bird." "When that happens it's 'cause the bird is territorial." "They know their breeding spot, they're the first ones getting there." "Those wanting " "I even went trapping in Calhandriz, in the stopover site, and the old birds that bred there wouldn't let us get to the migrating birds." "They just belted out the alarm call." "Come October, November, I used to go trapping there with my father-in-law." "We picked some real good oranges, delicious!" " It's here." " Here is fine." "Where's the other one?" "Go further down, Miguel." "The other one is way back, they need to be sort of " "Here's fine." "It's twisted." "It's tangled up somewhere." " Okay, it's untangled now." " But this doesn't look right." "You missed one up here." "No, you just missed one knot up here." "But I'll fix it in a sec." "How stubborn!" "FYT-FYT, LYA-VEE, FINK CHEE, IAK-IAK, FINK KEAK, KUIK, FINK" "In a while, it'll really get going, man." " Around 11:00 AM." " No." "Come 9:00 and they'll be knocking up here!" "All ready to bite!" "At 9:00 they'll be here!" "I arrived in Portugal on the 21st of November 2013." "Xiaoli, Meiying, Yuk Ling and Yang Ming, my friends and classmates, offered me this trip for having been the top student in international relations and political science at the renowned University of Beijing, or Beida," "where some of the main Chinese leaders and thinkers, including Lu Xun and Hu Shih, have taught!" "While we waited for the tram, one of the city's tourist attractions, we were engulfed in a demonstration by the state security forces." "We walked in awe among the shouting men." "I lost sight of my friends but I didn't mind." "The protesting policemen and the on duty policemen started to get really rough with each other." "I feared for the worst." "But after all they were all pals and hugged like true comrades." "I was given beer and a piece of bread and told they belonged to the National Republican Guard." "We went' to a place by the river where you could eat seafood." "Everybody liked me, they hugged me, picked me up in their arms, and told me jokes I didn't understand." "We came out into the street already quite drunk and one of them, a very tall boy with a girlish face, lassoed me around the waist and carried me under his arm." "An older officer, perhaps the oldest of them all, began arguing with him and gestured furiously." "The boy let me go and advanced on the older guy." "They all took to fighting violently." "When the fight was over, only the oldest one was standing." "He looked at me with sad eyes." "His name was Catá, and at that moment I realized we would be lovers." "Catá took me to a modest hostel in the city center where I ended up living alone for many months." "He came to the hostel after his shift or after attending a union meeting." "We were together almost every day, but almost never at nighttime." "Catá was married." "He was very gentle, and despite being my first European man and the first times being very painful, he made me feel happy." "He spoke very bad English, and I understood little." "I would recite Chinese celestial poems of the Tang dynasty to him, but they were hard to translate and he got bored." "I told him the meaning of my name in Portuguese:" ""Hot Forest."" "He loved it!" "Once in a while, he would take me out to dinner with his friends." "Yet Catá was jealous and couldn't stand them telling me jokes or wanting to dance with me." "So we didn't go out much." "I fell pregnant after a few months." "When I told him, he was very loving and understanding but then started to avoid me and eventually disappeared." "Being Chinese, it was very difficult for me to have an abortion in Portugal." "But I managed, with the help of a friend of Catá's." "I never saw Catá again." "I ran out of money and needed to find a job." "First I worked in a Chinese shop." "I really liked the owner's daughter and we became good friends." "However, one day they accused me of theft and fired me." "I answered an ad to work at the home of a lady." "She was a countess, Beatriz Hensler de Lencastre." "She had settled in Macao several years earlier and was looking for a Chinese girl as a lady's companion." "I liked her a lot." "I think she liked me too." "I moved to her small mansion in Estoril." "She would only require my services late morning, to chat, and after tea, to practice her Cantonese." "I found this difficult and agonizing as I speak only Mandarin and a little Wu." "But the countess didn't mind and laughed a great deal." "She was interested in my studies and anything concerning me." "And we grew closer as friends." "Her granddaughter and one of her daughters lived in the house." "They disliked me and looked at me askance." "Later I came to know that the family disputed the inheritance of her mansion." "This lady also lived with a Labrador dog, whom she loved." "It was called Watermelon." "Tragedy struck when I was returning home from a walk with the countess." "The house was on fire and I couldn't prevent the countess from running inside to save Watermelon, yelping from the balcony." "The countess was burned to death." "The dog jumped off the balcony and was saved." "I went back to Beijing, extradited by the Immigration and Borders Service." "Sometimes I dream that the countess speaks to me in the moment of her death." "Lin Nuan, how sad these men seem to me." "What inglorious effort, theirs!" "Let it all burn!" "From the foundations to the roof!" "Worry about it later!" "As your poet Yu Xuanji wrote," ""All that happens in life is a succession of pairing opposites:" "joy and sadness, pleasure and pain."" "Who was it that told me " " Vítor of the Inox!" " He's turned one of my birds " "Listen up, Vítor has a chaffinch that does about five or six songs." "The bird is studying and singing them." "But I've warned him." ""That bird won't keep them songs!"" "No chaffinch manages to retain six songs." "No, it'll forget half of them." "Still, he's good, amazing at learning new stuff!" "You know, people tell you, "This bird is 'clean, ' no bad songs!"" "But he's only clean there!" "As soon as you put it in the cage " "He learns a bad stroke!" "Like chweek, chee-kwook or sischi-kwook." "It can take you three hours to catch a clean bird." "But as soon as he's caged, that's that." " And you know why?" " 'Cause he's in heat." "Not only that." "Out in nature, he has maybe one or two songs, and he has his own defense call." " Yeah, his strongest call." " Yeah, it's his defense call!" "Then he learns his own song." " Maybe it happens once in 1,001 " " In 1,000!" "Okay, but when we cover some caged birds they sing afresh in two to three days." "I've had birds singing afresh after they're caged!" "Check that out!" "Even if they're next to the rest of them?" "Right." "Happened to me too." "I mean, if I catch a nice birdie - "Come on, I'm not spoiling this one!"" "There are no birds like the old ones, man!" " It's over there." " Okay." "That's the café." "Now you must - Look, they've built a rink here!" "Turn here." "Here!" " Here?" " Yes, right here." "GREAT BIRD-TRAPPERS GATHERING CHAFFINCH COMPETITION" "TROPHY FOR THE 10 FINALISTS SUPER CUP FOR THE FIRST 5 FINALISTS" "ORGANIZATION BY RODRIGO  HÉLDER" "Do you remember when they held a contest in Almada?" " They held one there too!" " I went to it " " It was a big competition." " For the gold ring." "People from Trafaria " "Okay, that's fine, it's cool." "Friends, let us sing." "And sing what?" "Obviously " "Let's hear it." ""Grândola" and then the national anthem." "It's the people who lead" "Inside you, oh, city" "Inside you, oh, city" "It's the people who lead" "Land of fraternity" "In each corner, there is a friend" "In each face, equality" "Grândola, swarthy town" "Grândola, swarthy town" "In each face, equality" "It's the people who lead" "Heroes of the sea, noble people" "Valiant and immortal nation" "Among the mists of memory" "That shall lead you to victory!" "To arms, to arms!" "Overland and over sea" "To arms, to arms!" "For our homeland, fight!" "Against the cannons, march on, march on!" "Get in line." "You may start." "Series 2 is on, guys!" "Where's the megaphone?" "You may begin." "Do you remember Julio in Chelas when he had to "register" my bird?" "Instead of registering his songs he raised his hand, look, like this " "Each time he raised his hand my bird wouldn't sing the stroke!" "He sang over 200 and no final stroke!" "He'd say, "No final stroke!"" "He should have been paying attention to mine." "My bird was in the center." "He had to register mine!" "He was, like, every time another one sang, he just went like this, waving his hand all the time!" "Didn't you speak up?" "I just got my bird out of there, goddamn it!" "Speak fucking slower!" "Listen, there are a few guys with brave birds, real brave ones!" "They don't produce enough 'cause they're here wasting themselves." "Prepare the bird well and then bring it here." "You'll see how he'll sing double." "Double!" "A guy has to know how to work his bird, damn it!" "Being a brave bird is not enough." "Well, this one and that one, they'll surely get to the final." "Mónica's." " Who is Mónica?" " She's a lady who is around here." "Those two must make it to the final." " Julio's birds?" " No, these two here." "Is it Serpas?" " It's Sapas!" " S-A-P-A-S!" "Sapas as in sapateiro, half-soles, guys!" "He wants to eat half-soles!" "Two for Table 26!" "Series 16 is on!" "Series 16 is on!" "I won't starve my bird." "Those mixed seeds are useless." "He's in ninth place." "What's your series, Márcio?" "One bird not here yet." " One not here, man!" " Wait a minute." "Let the bird be." "Hey, Xico, you all right?" "Let the bird be 'cause he's singing." "Do you feel tired?" "Okay, it's good to have a rest." "He took the birdie away." "He took the birdie away." "He was singing just fine." "Fuck!" "Fuck!" "Through some great times" "I've been" "Starting at age eight" "When I came into the bird scene" "With ambition, I've been a sweet boy" "Since I made the chaffinch" "My favorite toy" "From an early age" "I settled in the woods" "And with older bird-trappers" "I learned to listen to the birds" "Good old days" "Hey, how did you get trapped like that, man?" " I was flying, just flying." " Were you in the air?" " Sure." "And when I got here " " And how are you getting out?" " I just got stuck." " How are you getting out?" "I'd appreciate if you would free me, bird-trapper." "If I would free you?" "And what's in it for me?" " You must pay me good money, man!" " I'll pay you." " What will you pay me?" " I'll pay as soon as you free me." " What will you pay me?" " I'll pay you." "Are you offering me the Euro Millions?" "Right, straightaway." "I'll pay you when I'm out of this net." "Really?" "Are you having me on?" "No, I mean it." "Really?" "Looks like I can't untangle this." " Come on, bird-trapper!" " Come on what?" "I want you to get me out of here!" " You'll have to stay, I can't do it." " I want to get out!" "I've been stuck in this net for 10 minutes!" "And you'll die in it!" " What will I get from this, I wonder?" " Damn you, bird-trapper!" "So, you got caught, just like that?" "I was flying high, but then I descended and fell into this net." " You have to be careful." " I just got caught." " Get me out of here right now." " Without me, you'd have died here!" " Yes." "Hold on!" " You'd be dead." "Well done, bird-trapper!" " What now?" " Ah, bird-trapper!" " What about my effort?" " Here's for your effort." " What's that?" " 10 little euros to buy " "I don't want your 10 euros!" " A pack of cigs." " If it were 10 million " " Here, please have it." " 10 million, man!" "To buy a pack of cigs, go on." " But I don't want it." " Mr. bird-trapper, it's for you." "I don't want them!" "Just keep your 10 euros and watch out in the future or you'll die in the net." " No, I won't!" "See ya." " See ya." " Have another five." " Don't you want it for a pack?" "No, they're bad for me." "I just dropped my birds because of you." " See ya." " See ya." "Have a good journey." "God be with you, bird-trapper."