LL-L: "Poetics" (was "Levity") LOWLANDS-L, 17.APR.2000 (02) [E/German]

[Lowlands-L]

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From: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at yahoo.com]
Subject: Poetics

Georg Deutsch wrote:

> Durch Reinhards Erklärungen habe ich den Eindruck, dass eine
dreisprachige
> Ausgabe Burns´scher Gedichte (Schottisch-Englisch-Deutsch) für das
> deutschsprachige Publikum durchaus von Interesse wäre.

Yes, I could see that, though publishers might not be as easily convinced.
Perhaps there are more translations of Burns' English language works in
other languages because most translators don't fully understand the Scots
texts.  Hopefully this will change with time, as Scots comes to be
recognized and studies as a language in itself rather than as an appendage
to English.

As some of you may know, I've tried my hand at translating some of Burns'
Scots poems into Low Saxon/Low German.  I found that there are some
expressions and devices that are more easily translated between these two
languages than into English or German.  Perhaps Andy Eagle can verify this,
considering that he has translated a few of the Low Saxon tales from the
Grimm anthology directly into Scots.

> If my memory does not betray me, it was Burns who wrote a poem which
> included
> something like:
> "Wherever I go,  my heart is in the HIGHLANDS."
> I would say, this is for this forum a wrong message,
> Maybe Lowlands-L should issue an amended version? ;)

Well, I am by no means a Burns expert, but I'm under the distinct
impression that Robert Burns was pretty much a Lowlander -- perhaps a Scot
first and a Lowlander second.  Furthermore, it is my personal impression
that some of his English language works, including the one you mentioned,
are a bit on the "pretty" side and have less depth and wit than most of his
Scots language works have.  Perhaps he wrote these English language works
to "sell," appealing to the flavor of the week in English poetry world of
the time, even if these works had Scottish themes, perhaps being pseudo
Scottish folk songs that the English could understand, such as the one you
menioned.  I feel that, in contrast, he wrote Scots language poetry
primarily with a truly Scottish readership in mind.  To me it is a bit as
if a popular Low Saxon writer like, say Klaus Groth, had written Low Saxon
works for North Germans and thrown in the occasional (High) German song
with Alpine themes full of "Almenwonne" and "Alpenglühn" to appeal to
German and foreign readers at large.

Below is the English language work you mentioned:

My Heart's in the Highlands

Chorus:
   My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here,
   My heart's in the Highlands a-chasing the deer --
   A-chasing the wild deer, and following the roe,
   My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go!

I
Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North,
The birth place of valour, the country of worth!
Wherever I wander, wherever I rove,
The hills of the Highlands for ever I love.

II
Farewell to the mountains high cover'd with snow,
Farewell to the straths and green valleys below,
Farewell to the forests and wild-hanging woods,
Farwell to the torrents and loud-pouring floods!

Chorus:
   My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here,
   My heart's in the Highlands a-chasing the deer --
   A-chasing the wild deer, and following the roe,
   My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go!

It has a lovely tune.

Best regards,

Reinhard/Ron

P.S.: Georg, I hope you will get this.  For some reason I do not
understand, the previous LL-L "Levity" bounced back from your server,
perhaps because it contains some response address of yours.  If you did not
get it, please visit the archive at
http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/lowlands-l.html.

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