Monday 10 November 2008

Poetry


I've mentioned before my love for Anna Akhmatova's poetry. I'm still not good enough with russian, so that I could fluently read the poetess' authentic language. Marja-Leena Mikkola has translated Akhmatova's works to finnish in 1992, not all of them though, but an inclusive collection. To my surprise, I found that she has now made a new edition of the poems, some of which she has even changed a bit. This new book also includes works that haven't been previously translated.


Here's one of my favourites in english and in finnish (the newest translated version)

Willow

And I grew up in patterned tranquillity,

In the cool nursery of the young century.
And the voice of man was not dear to me,
But the voice of the wind I could understand.
But best of all the silver willow.

And obligingly, it lived

With me all my life; it's weeping branches

Fanned my insomnia with dreams.
And strange!--I outlived it.

There the stump stands; with strange voices

Other willows are conversing

Under our, under those skies.

And I am silent... As if a brother had died.

Paju

Kasvoin koruommelkuvioiden hiljaisuudessa
nuoren vuosisadan viileässä lastenhuoneessa.
Eikä ihmisen ääni ollut minulle rakas,
mutta tuulen ääntä saatoin ymmärtää.
Rakkaita olivat ohdake ja nokkonen,
vaan rakkain kaikista paju hopeinen.
Ja paju kiitollisena eli kanssani
koko elämänsä, unettomuuteeni
leyhytti unia itkevillä oksillaan.
Kummallista! -elin sitä kauemmin.
Tuossa törröttää nyt kanto, ja vierailla äänillään
toiset pajut juttelevat niitä näitä keskenään
yhteisen taivaamme alla. Olen ääneti...
Tuntuu kuin olisi kuollut oma veljeni.


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

"it lived with me all my life". This is very beautiful. It reminds me of how many memories live with us all our life, and sometimes we are not even conscious of that. Akhmatova's work is indeed toughing. I'm going to seek for a book of hers.

-mari- said...

That is a beautiful thought. Hope you find the book.

Sandy said...

Sinulle on tunnustus vanhassa blogissani.

Ei jatkamispakkoa! :)