Būt suņa Dzīvoklim
būt suņa dzīvoklim ar trim rejošām istabām
ar sprauslājošu vannas istabu
kur pil aukstu slienu
un karstu siekalu krāni
suņa dzīvoklis ar grīdām
kas kauc pret mēnesdzeltenām griestu lampām
suņa dzīvoklis
kas necieš kaķa smaku
kur dīvāna spalvas
sabožas stāvus
arī no attālo kaķveidīgo
smakas
Translations of this Poem
Dog Apartment
Translator: Lise Sinclair
imagine an apartment made of dog
three rooms of bark, a bathroom of snout
the cold tap dribbles, the hot tap slobbers
an apartment made of dog with floors
which howl at ceiling lamps at night as if they were moons
imagine an apartment made of dog
which detests the very scent of cat
an apartment made of dog
whose sofa hairs bristle
at the sprayings of even distant moggies.
About this poem
In 2005 Ehin took part in a workshop in Shetland organised by Literature Across Frontiers in partnership with the Scottish Poetry Library, and this translation into Shetlandic by another of the workshop poets, Lise Sinclair, was made during the sessions there. Further samples from this workshop may be found in the SPL publication All Points North (Edinburgh: Scottish Poetry Library/The Caseroom Press, 2006).