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  • Christine De Luca
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  • Time circles
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Time circles

Christine De Luca

Mirknen haps a rummelled broch
on Houlland’s knowe, rowes hit
in a twilt o lavendar: saft smored
as a Danish Hjøllund a year ago.
Da line o da prow is sib
an da soonds on da tongue, but
dis laand canna scoarn da forest,
fat byres an grit rigs o coarn.
Here hit’s a tooder o hedder
an da mintiest flooers. Fae da broch
da Wastside raiks aa aroond:
Eid Voe spörs ta da nort,
bi wast, a headicraa ta Burrafirt,
ta Foula an Waas. Soothbye,
a vire o voes at Sandsoond
an Skeld – Skjáldr o da sagas.
A year is come richt roond.
I da simmir dim, sungaets,
we mark da rim o da broch
– time circles: walk da mairches
o a twalmont gien.


Christine De Luca

from Wast wi da Valkyries (Lerwick: Shetland Library, 1997)

Reproduced by permission of the author and translator.

Tags:

Norwegian Shetlandic time passing Translations

Translations of this Poem

Tidssirkler

Translator: Arne Ruste


Skumringen innhyller den sammenraste borgen
på Houlland-åsen, svøper den
i et teppe av lavendel: myk lunhet
som et dansk Houlland året før.
Bauglinjen er nesten den samme
og lyden av ordet, men
mitt land kan ikke imitere skog,
feite fjøs og endeløse kornåkre.
Her er det taslete lynghei
og bittesmå blomster. Fra borgen
et rundskue vestover:
Eid-viken innsmigrende mot nord,
vestover kollbøtte (kråkestup) mot Burrefjord,
til Foula og Waas. Sørover
en velsignelse av viker mot Sandsund
og Skeld – sagaens Skjáldr.
Året har rukket rundt.
Medsols i skumringen
markerer vi randen av borgen (borgens omkrets)
– tidssirklene: går opp grensene
for året som har gått.

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Christine De Lucab.1947

Christine De Luca is a Shetland writer now living in Edinburgh. She writes her poetry in English and in Shetlandic, her mother tongue. She was appointed Edinburgh's Makar for 2014-2017.
More about Christine De Luca

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