Skip to content

Scottish Poetry Library

Register/Sign in
Shopping Bag Shopping Bag
Bringing people and poems together
  • Home
  • Poetry
    • Poets
    • Poems
    • Makar – National Poet
      • Our Waking Breath: A Poem-letter from Scotland to Ukraine
      • A Woman’s A Woman
      • The story of the Makar – National Poet of Scotland
    • Best Scottish Poems
    • Spiorad an Àite
      Spirit of Place
    • The Trysting Thorns
    • Poetry Ambassadors
      Tosgairean na Bàrdachd
      • Poetry Commissions: Walter Scott 250
        Coimiseanan Bàrdachd: Walter Scott 250
      • Poetry Ambassadors 2021
    • Posters
    • Podcasts
  • Library
    • Become a borrower
    • Catalogue
    • Collections
    • Ask a librarian
    • Copyright enquiries
  • Learning
    • SQA set texts
    • Learning resources
    • Designing sensory poetry activities
    • Children’s poems in Scots
    • National Poetry Day archive
    • New to poetry?
    • Advice for poets
  • Events
    • What’s On
    • Meeting rooms and venue hire
    • Exhibitions
  • Shop
    • Poetry Highlights
    • Entropie Books
    • Stichill Marigold Press
    • Poems for Doctors, Nurses & Teachers
    • Scottish Poetry
    • Poetry Pamphlet Cards
    • Help
  • About us
    • Our story
    • Our people
    • Company Papers & Policies
    • Our projects
    • Our building
    • FAQs
    • Find us
  • Support us
    • Become a Friend
    • Donate
  • Blog
Shopping BagShopping Bag
Ask a librarian
  • Home
  • >
  • Poetry
  • >
  • Esther Kinsky
  • >
  • Schweigen, ein Ort…
Donate Donate icon Ask a Librarian Ask a Librarian icon

Schweigen, ein Ort…

Esther Kinsky

Schweigen, ein Ort.
Ort zwischen Kehle und Herz,
wo der Laut
steigt bricht und stirbt,
wo wir die Toten
betten unter die weißen
Steine des Zungenbands
und der Fremde,
wo wir die Namen
schöpfen und lassen
ins Ungesagte
verwerfen,
lautlose Zeichen
ohne Welt.


Esther Kinsky

from Modern Poetry in Translation No.17: Mother Tongues

Reproduced by permission of the author and translators.

Tags:

Estonian Gaelic German Polish Translations Welsh

Translations of this Poem

Vaikus...

Translator: Doris Kareva


Vaikus,
paik kurgu ja südame vahel,
kus heli
kerkib, muundub ja kaob,
kus sängitame surnuid
kurgunibu valgete kivikeste
ja võõrosade alla,
kust võtame nimesid või nad jätame,
hülgame ütlematusele,
helitud märgid,
maailmale.

tosd...

Translator: Rody Gorman


ionad
eadar an cridhe ‘s an sgòrnan
far a bheil fuaim
ag èirigh ‘s a’ briseadh is a’ dol bàs
far a bheil sinn a’ cur
nam marbh fo bhalbhagan geala
na fraenulum
is nan ionadan thall thairis
far am bi sinn a’ tarraing nan ainm
no a’ ligeil leotha
gan trèigsinn
dhan rud nach abrar
sanasan gun fhuaim
gun saoghal cuideachd

Mudandod, man...

Translator: Mererid Puw Davies


Mudandod, man.
Man rhwng y gwddw a’r galon,
lle cyfyd a chwala a marw
sain,
lle hwyliwn wely i’r meirw dan gerrig gwyn gewynnau’r geg
a’r dieithrwch
y tynnwn ni
enwau ohono a’u taflu ymaith
i’r dileferydd,
arwyddion disain
heb iddynt fyd.

Milczenie, miejsce...

Translator: Jakub Ekier


Milczenie, miejsce
między gardłem a sercem,
to stamtąd głos
wyłania się, tam załamuje,
martwy,
tam kładziemy
umarłych pod białymi
kamieniami, na wędzidle
języka
i na obczyźnie,
Stamtąd czerpiemy imiona
lub je zostawiamy,
porzucamy wśród rzeczy
nienazwanych,
znaki bezgłośne,
bez świata.

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.

Share this
Facebook
Twitter
Email

Learn more

Esther Kinskyb.1956

Esther Kinsky was born in Engelkirchen, Germany and after living in the UK for a decade, now divides her time between Berlin and Battonya (Hungary). She is considered one of the most distinguished translators from Polish into German and...
More about Esther Kinsky

Newsletter

Sign up for our regular email newsletter.
Subscribe now

Online Shop

Browse our range of poetry books, cards and gifts in our online shop.
Shop now
  • Newsletter signup
  • Accessibility
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Scottish Poetry Library
5 Crichton's Close, Canongate
Edinburgh EH8 8DT
Tel: +44 (0)131 557 2876
© Scottish Poetry Library 2022.
The Scottish Poetry Library is a registered charity (No. SCO23311).
City of Edinburgh logo Green Arts Initiative logo Creative Scotland logo
Scottish Poetry Library