February 5 – Happy Birthday, Johan Ludwig Runeberg

nPostednon February 5, 2016

nTodaynis the birthday of Finland’s national poet!

nJohannLudwig Runeberg, born on this date in 1804, lived in the region wennow know as Finland. When he was born, it was a part of the Kingdomnof Sweden (and, indeed, he spoke and wrote in Swedish), and when hendied, it was part of the Russian Empire – but he was always a Finn.nn

nHenwrote mostly about life in rural Finland, and he told the tales ofnpeople who sacrificed and worked hard to succeed – people who alsongave generously to others. He also wrote an epic poem about thenFinnish War, when Sweden lost Finland and the Russian Empire gainednit.

nRuneberg’snepic points out the humanity of all sides in the war: the Swedes, thenRussians, and the Finns. But the poem emphasizes the courage and heroism of the Finns.

nHerenis another of Runeberg’s poems:

nBIRDS OF PASSAGE

Ye fugitive guests on the farn foreign strand.
n
When seek ye again your own dear nativen land?
n
Whenn flowers coyly peep out,
n
Inn native dales growing,
n
Andn rivulets leap out
n
Pastn alders a-blowing.
n
Onn lifted wings hither
n
Then tiny ones hie;

nNonen tells the way whither

nThroughn wildering sky,

nYetn surely they fly.
n
n
They find it so safely, the longn sighed-for north.
nWhere spring both their food and theirn shelter holds forth.

n

Then fountain’s breast swelleth,

nRefreshingn the weary;

nThen waving branch telleth

nOfn pleasures so cheery;

nAndn where the heart dreameth

n‘Neathn midnight sun’s ray.

nAndn love scarcely deemeth,

n‘Midn song and ‘mid play.

nHown long was the way.
The fortunate blithe ones, they buildn amid rest,
n
n‘Mong moss-covered pine-trees, their peaceablen nest.

nAndn tempest and fray, too,

nAndn care and its powers,

nTheyn find not the way to

nThen warderless towers.

nTheren joy needs no charming,

nButn May-day’s bright brand,

nAndn night to sleep calming

nWithn rose-tinted hand

nThen tiny wee band.

Thou fugitive soul on a far foreignn strand,
nWhen seek’st thou again thine own dearn fatherland?

nWhenn each palm-tree beareth,

nInn fatherworld growing,

nThyn calm faith prepareth

nInn joy to be going.

nOnn lifted wings thither.

nAsn little birds hie.

nNonen shows the way whither

nThroughn wildering sky,

nYetn sure dost thou fly.

nInenjoyed reading that poem, but a part of me was wondering how thentranslator managed to achieve such good rhythm and rhyme whilentranslating from Swedish to English. The translator would have HAD tonhave changed the poem to do so, right?

nSonI googled, “How do translators keep rhyme in poems that theyntranslate?” And I found out that translators have to make a ton ofndecisions when translating anything, but especially poetry or songnlyrics. Here is an article that explains seven possible options for translating poetry.

nCheck out Finland…

nInnFinland (and the rest of the Northern Hemisphere) it is still winter.nWinter in Finland looks like this: (Shiver!)