Reviving [Poem in English, French, and Dutch]



Reviving

Descended in an icy silence
to recover from dark furrows
long lost merriment

How to blow a warm glow
to imparted images
How to paint the colors of enjoyment
in having a simple gathering

It was so nice to fantasize when
the wide world first appeared
and dreams could really exist

In the cold moon of this day
I dig a hole to fearlessness
and lift up the hopeful child

Again it may believe in luck
*
Renaissant

Dans un silence glacial descendu
à récupérer des sillons sombres
gaité longtemps perdue

Comment souffler une lueur chaleureuse
aux images inculquées
Comment peindre les couleurs du bonheur
d’être simplement ensemble

Intense fut le plaisir de rêvasser quand
le monde entier s' offrait là à découvert
quand du rêve surgit le reél

Dans la lune froide de la journée
je creuse un trou d’intrépidité
et hisse tout haut l’enfant plein d'espoir
 
à nouveau il peut croire à sa chance
*
Herlevend

in verkilde stilte afgedaald
opgehaald uit donkere spelonken
teloorgegane vrolijkheid

hoe blaas ik warme gloed
naar ingeprente beelden
penseel ik kleuren van plezier
in simpel samenzijn
 
het was zo fijn te fantaseren toen
de wijde wereld openlag
dromen konden echt bestaan
  
in de koude maan van deze dag
graaf ik een geuzengat
en haal het hoopvol kind naar boven

het mag weer in geluk geloven
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Submitted by ludy_b on May 02, 2021

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:07 min read
321

Quick analysis:

Scheme AAB XXBC DBB BAB X B BAB AXEX BBX XBE X B BDB BDED DCD XBX D
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,276
Words 224
Stanzas 15
Stanza Lengths 3, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 3, 3, 1

Ludy Bührs

The topics she writes about are very diverse, so are the poetry styles she applies. As a Dutch translator and poet, having lived in Cambodia's capital city Phnom Penh for 2.5 years, in 2008 she published "Op de ruïnes van een rijk" (On the Ruins of an Empire) ISBN 978-90-8834-483-1 with 60 poems based on her experiences there. In 2007 she received a Certificate of Accomplishment as one of The Best Poems and Poets of 2007 issued by poetry.com and the International Library of Poetry for her poem Choked Truth, her own translation of "Verstikte waarheid", one of the poems in the book. Born in 1956, she still works as an independent translator, translating from English into Dutch. more…

All Ludy Bührs poems | Ludy Bührs Books

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Discuss the poem Reviving [Poem in English, French, and Dutch] with the community...

6 Comments
  • nwafor_a
    Great piece. What a miraculous use of words. I love it.
    LikeReply5 months ago
  • kem330
    Great poem. Read it twice to fully grasp it and really enjoyed the read.
    LikeReply 25 months ago
  • Vixility
    Excellent poem! The third stanza—oh man, so relatable.

    I have a question. There is a Russian poet (Fyodor Tyutchev) whose works I love, but I only know them through the translations given by another one of my favorite writers: Vladimir Nabokov (whose translations I trust)

    Do you find it difficult to transmit the essence and beauty of a given poem by converting it into another language whose words not only sound different but might have slightly different meanings? For example: would a Dutch reader of your poem perceive something slightly different than that of a French reader?

    I’ve always been fascinated by this question and thought I would take advantage and ask you here since you have linguistic and aesthetic access to all three translations. Hope you don’t mind the question.

    In short, is the substance of a poem ‘lost in translation’?
     
    LikeReply 15 months ago
    • ludy_b
      When a poem is in free verse, it is easier for a translator with the right skills to (almost) fully reveil the original poem, as soon as there are form restrictions, details will get lost easily.
      LikeReply 15 months ago
  • Kfoxy1411
    I love this piece. So much feeling
    LikeReply 15 months ago
  • lauriesero4480
    And dreams could really exist.... Amen. Great line!
    LikeReply 15 months ago
  • LatinX
    Great poem!
    LikeReply 15 months ago

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"Reviving [Poem in English, French, and Dutch]" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 31 Oct. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/98915/reviving-[poem-in-english,-french,-and-dutch]>.

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