Haroldo,
The Baron of Grão Mogol
Wanderlino
Arruda
The
story in itself is in all quite
common and in keeping with the
canons of modern commerce, fruit
of those eternal principles, offer
and demand. It’s a tale
of give and take, naturally involving
costs and coins, common to any
given commercial transaction.
But only a poet can imbue such
cut and dried dealings of this
nature with romance. Someone,
who can somehow see, with poetic
eyes, some lingering light…
romantic traces of literary philosophy.
But mind you, let there rest no
doubt, that even in acts of pure
bargaining, there is always a
way to be found of coloring them
with fantasy, quite elementary
to those who live within the arts
and the written word.
The fact is that the plain and
simple truth alone can be interesting
enough, my friends. Haroldo Lívio,
Brazilian citizen, native of Brasilia
de Minas, by birth, to Montes
Claros by heart, and now, signs
a love-bond to the city of Grão
Mogol…signed, sold and delivered.
Sold with all the power wielded
by currency in today’s modern
world of commerce. Haroldo Lívio
- it’s prudent to say -
has just completed a commercial
transaction of great value in
the city of Grão Mogol.
He bought, paid and took possession
of, with register in government
office, mediate all clauses, including
that of eviction, a 19th century
colonial mansion. Haroldo Lívio,
or better, dr. Haroldo Lívio
de Oliveira, Brazilian lawyer,
married to the sociologist Maria
do Carmo, is today the legitimate
owner, lord and master of an ancient
and exciting mansion in the picturesque
city of Grão Mogol. A historic
old mansion, great, spreading
and impressive, possibly built
by the hands of slaves, walls
made of heavy cut stones, dug
with sweat from centuries past.
Being a case of love at first
sight, Haroldo immediately immersed
himself in the noble atmosphere
of his new acquisition, absorbing
it and was soon feeling himself
in the skin of a powerful land
baron, owner of a security worthy
of a fortress, urban and historic.
He liked it and bought it. Brass
tacks!
Haroldo’s house, my friends,
is not a common house, built of
lowly bricks and mortar, as stated
in the deed. It is truly a monolithic
work of art with walls half a
meter thick, sustaining huge,
wooden, colonial windows and gigantic
double doors furnished with heavy
beams and thick iron bolts, fruit
of the famed Minas sense of solid
security as well as the competence
of sweat covered ironsmiths of
old. The house of Haroldo, with
roof of massive ax-hewn beams
of wine colored aroeira wood,
has grand rooms with walls lined
in parquet and the floors are
worthy of the steps of great nobles
and commanders-at-arms. The front
of the mansion is endowed with
superb secular frontispieces,
boasting resistant ornate details,
and evidencing the force of thoroughly
deliberated choices wrought by
the architect, owner builder,
pride of the art of stonemasonry.
In the back of this noble estate,
beyond generous orchards of blushing
fruits, we encounter the crystal
clear water and fine white sand
of a serene river, its bed formed
of oval, polished stones and banks
carpeted with cool green grass
and “capim gordura,”
a coveted bovine delicacy. In
the distance, but not very far,
lies the elegant profile of a
secular forest, framing the blue
rust of the hills and celestial
grey of the horizon, an enchantment
to the eyes and a pleasure to
the heart.
For all this, for love, for romantic
leanings in commercial decision,
for poetry, for good taste, for
noble humility, and for the humble
nobility of healthy consciousness,
wielding a self proclaimed badge
of authority, I have no doubt,
that the lofty title of Baron
of Grão Mogol, belongs
to Haroldo Lívio, cult
and intellectual giant of my province,
Minas Gerais.
