Today’s prompt was to find a poem in a language you don’t know. I used the same one as the prompt, because, what the hey; a Finnish poem by Olli Heikkonen. Think about the sound and shape of the words, and the degree to which they remind you of words in your own language. Use those correspondences as the basis for a new poem. The end result doesn’t yet make a 100% sense, but it’s fascinating how easy it was to find images that slotted into my theme.
Finnish Original
Kumarra pihla jaa. Sen alle kasvot ylöspäin
veljesi on haudattu. Maan povessa luut
mustuvat, yrtit versovat nikamiin.
Kumarra pihlajaa, sen ihonkaltaista kuorta, oksan hankaan
ripustettua helminauhaa. Kumarra latvan liekkiä.
Juuret lävistävät veljesi rinnan.
Juuret lävistävät veljesi otsan.
Pihlaja on ääniä täynnä, jotka keväällä
puhkeavat lehdiksi.
“Literal” Transmogrification into English
Come here phial jar. Sense all cease wot loss of pain
we shall see on hide at you. Man possess lute
must you wait, your heart verse of what nick mine.
Come here phial jar, then I hone kill taster aorta, oxen hanker
Riposte statue helm in a you are. Come here little one like care.
Enduring love is the what we shall see running.
Enduring love is the what we all jetson.
phial jar on any tiny, jot car coverall
per karat lee discus. Dixie
Extract from Finnish Jar
Come near, fill my jar. Sense my loss, ceaseless pain.
We shall see what hides you. As man possesses lute
So must you wait, your heart a verse that nicks mine.
Day 6 – TIL about tiny punctuation
tit for tat
the dot above
a lowercase
“i” is a tittle
the fact the line
beneath is not
called a tattle
makes my eyes
shove water
— just a jot!
gareth roi poet boi 