maandag 25 maart 2013

Pretty Poems: Scél Lemm Dúib

Hi guys!

One of the many things I love about Celtic stuff are the medieval Irish and Welsh poems. They always have a different rhyme than we have, or a different metre, and definitely different metrical rules. And more often than not, the sound of the words together is the art, not the meaning per se. That makes them difficult to translate, because you lose a lot of the magic of the original.
So here is an Irish poem from the 9th or 10th century, with a translation, but be sure to look at the Irish original as well, even if you can't understand it! If I could read it to you all, I would.

It's really fitting for this time of the year: I want spring and I want it now, but it still seems to be winter.. So a wintery poem!

Scél lemm dúib              'I bring news to you'
dordaid dam                                bells a stag
snigid gaim                         'the winter snows
ro-fáith sam                    the summer is gone

gáeth ard úar                   high and cold wind
ísel grían                                          low sun
gair a rith                              short its course
ruirthech rían                              swift ocean

rorúad rath                            russet bracken
ro-cleth cruth                   shapes are hidden
ro-gab gnáth              suddenly a wild goose
giugrann guth                         raised its voice

ro-gab úacht                         cold has taken
etti én                              the wings of a bird
aigre ré                                     a time of ice
é mo scél                             this is my news'

This is my own translation, but I based myself on the translation of James Carney, from 'Medieval Irish Lyrics'. His translation is a poëtical one and I wanted to stay as true to the Irish version itself as possible.

Until next time,
Lian

Sources photography: photo by Peter Denness on redbubble.com


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