A’Siubhal an Rathaid / Traivelin the Road
Bidh mi siubhal an rathaid
Ah traivel the road by caur
Nam charbad san uisge mhìn
In the daggy smirr
Agus tusa togail ceann am inntinn
An ye kythe tae ma harns
Air chleas an t-suathair-sgàilein
Like the singil wunscreen wiper
‘S e togail ceann
Skitin up an doon
‘S a’ togail ceann gun stad,
Up an doon athoot end.
Translations of this Poem
Sõidan autoga
Translator: Doris Kareva
Sõidan autoga mööda teed,
vihma tibutab
ning meenud sina
kui üksik kojamees, vibutuv
üles ja alla,
üles ja alla otsata.
About this poem
‘Voyages & versions / Tursan is Tionndaidhean’ was the title of the translation workshop run by the Scottish Poetry Library and Literature Across Frontiers 12-18 May 2003. The group consisted of Petr Borkovec (Czech Republic), Mererid Puw Davies (Wales), Jakub Ekier (Poland), Matthew Fitt (Scotland), Rody Gorman (Scotland), Milan Jesih (Slovenia), Doris Kareva (Estonia), Esther Kinsky (England) and Aled Llion (Wales). The group spent days at Moniack Mhor writing centre in the Highlands, returned to the Library in Edinburgh and went up to Dundee Contemporary Arts, and gave multi-lingual readings, producing what was, in effect, an hour’s sound-poem. Several of the poets mentioned their sense of renewed faith in poetry – how refreshed they felt by the chance to look closely at their own and others’ work in company with people whose aesthetics might be quite different but whose skills and passion were recognisably similar.
