Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl is an Icelandic poet. He
translates Icelandic poetry into English (I particularly like his versions of Sigfús Daðason), and he has an interesting
interview on Icelandic poetry ("Curiously enough, back in the days the nationalists would sometimes write in danish. And writing in a foreign language was more or less seen as the only alternative to literature being a mere hobby until Halldór Laxness came along"). But really this is an elaborate excuse to post a link to
Höpöhöpö Böks: Köld öld Böks mjög örg, Ölböl örlög Böks! (Warning: My wife thought the linked video sounded like vomiting.) Via
wood s lot.
This one goes out to my man Kattullus; hope you can stick around! [more inside]
posted by languagehat
on Feb 17, 2009 -
12 comments
Jónas Hallgrímsson (1807-45) was an Icelandic Romantic poet and natural scientist. Dick Ringler, a professor at The University of Wisconsin, has a site that contains
50 poems and prose texts by Jónas in parallel English/Icelandic versions. Also on the site,
a guide to traditional Icelandic verse,
a biographical sketch of the poet and a
map of Iceland with places Jónas wrote about marked. Here's his short
Above the Ford:
The cliffs on life's swift current/are cleft by shallow valleys./Masses have queued to cross there ---/crowds of billy-goat milkers./We'll go upstream, God willing,/to walk the hawk-high ridges/and pitch ourselves --- impetuous ---/plumb in the roaring torrent! [Today is Iceland's Independence Day]
posted by Kattullus
on Jun 17, 2007 -
13 comments
