Today's poem is Gsnachesh Scoyt Zan Vanta, or The Gannet Discusses the View.1
I've translated only a very few poems, a couple from the Slovenian, a couple from Dutch, so I was very impressed by this translation by Olivia Troot, an attempt at translating from an animal language.
This is from the original Gannesche, the language spoken by the great seabird, the Gannet.
So I'll read it first in the original Gannesche, and then the translation by Olivia Trout. And to her, many thanks for allowing me to use this translation.
Gsnachesh Scoyt Zan Vanta Aver narf thee, kip yas gogglers! Ouz zase cruncheons, Zase cropouts, zaf dondylond. Wayzair, sporch yaz freets. Ephne, ephne… Fidge! Voig! Voig! Voig! The Gannet Discusses the View Translated from the original Gannesche by Olivia Troot Look over there! Keep your eyes skinned! There are inland coastal waters, Those rocks, that dangerous cliff. You there, stop complaining. I told you, I told you… Fish! Dive! Dive! Dive! Translator’s note: cruncheons which takes the typical –eons ending in Gannesche of an object of directed attention, is very difficult to render into English. Literally it means salt lake but since gannets do not now live on salt lakes, if they ever have, I opted for the vaguer term ‘inland coastal waters’, suggesting a sea area that reaches someway inland.
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The picture above is from the Press & Journal where you can read about Scotland’s last traditional wild seabird fowlers, the guga hunters of Lewis.
