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Herding Aife's cows (again) |
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By Fledermaus
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15 March 2008 |
Trying to make a rhyming translation of an Old Irish poem :-) Is úar fri cloi ngaeithe. do neocht ingair bu Aife. Iss ed ingaire mada, cen bú, cen nech no chara. It's cold against the blowing wind, For herding cows at Aife's grove. It's vain herding without a friend, Without cows and someone to love. |
Written by Diddi (80 comments posted) 15th March 2008 | | It's beautiful, and I think you may feel a little dissatisfied. It has a gentle way, what if you kept to the count of the original Old Irish, the spirit of it may flow through easier. I wish I could pronounce the Old Irish, but, even in my futile attempts, I felt the magic of the words I don't know. |
Written by Fledermaus (3325 comments posted) 15th March 2008 | Thanks Diddi.
The translation isn't very literal of course, as I had to fit it into a poem. Literally the Old Irish says:
It's cold against the wirlwind,
For someone herding Aife's cows.
It's vain herding,
Without cows, without someone to love.
It comes from a Middle Irish prose text full of intrigue, betrayal and murder. This poem is very significant for the plot. I might retell that one day :-) |
Written by beatricelouise (215 comments posted) 15th March 2008 | It strikes me with a nudge to know more. Herding without cows? It would be vain to herd nothing, even if there was someone to love.
I guess it would help to be able to understand Irish. Then I might be able to get the full meaning. Sometimes, the meaning is lost in translation. Enjoyed the read. | hi
Written by maipenrai (783 comments posted) 15th March 2008 | a very good and interesting write.
Bernie | Hi Fledermaus
Written by jean.day (2290 comments posted) 16th March 2008 | | I liked this little poem. It has a nice gentle feel to it, and is somewhat sad. |
Written by Josie (2798 comments posted) 16th March 2008 | | It sounds just like a simple little country poem. You did well translating it. Very impressive! |
Written by Fledermaus (3325 comments posted) 16th March 2008 | Thanks everyone.
as said, the poem is the central thing in a medieval prose story. In fact the first two lines are uttered by the jester of a prince, the second two by the queen. Many articles have been written about the meaning of Bú Aife, wether that was a geographical location or an expression meaning "meeting a lover". |
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