… among us

Det er lykkedes mig at finde et af aajus få forsøg på at oversætte sine egne digte til engelsk. Når man kender til den vidunderlige teknik han anvendte, når han talte engelsk, stå vil man let kunne genkende hans sprogbrug. Den bestod af lige dele engelske ord og kunstnerisk frihed i sammensætningen og betydningen af ordene. Man kunne næsten blive fristet til at tro, at Google Translate har konsulteret aaju i sin algoritmer, når noget skal tekstforvandles.

For helhedens skyld har jeg valgt at bringe originaldigtet på dansk, aajus egen oversættelse og så et forsøg på at finde den mere korrekte og forståelige oversætelse…. Bær over med os - engelsk er IKKE let…!

Omkring tv
Koncentrerer
Inuitøjne sig

deres underbevidsthed
bekender samtidig

Bekendelse 1:

jeg forstår ikke sproget
jeg forstår nemlig ikke dansk eller engelsk
jeg forstår heller ikke miljøet

Bekendelse 2:

jeg har anskaffet mig et tv
fordi de andre har det
fordi vi skal vel lære dansk og engelsk
fordi det er så moderne
fordi det er dejligt og spændende

Bekendelse 3:

men jeg er godt nok
lidt skeptisk uden at sige det
fordi jeg måske glemmer mit sprog
fordi jeg måske mister min kultur
fordi jeg måske bliver en fremmed
i mit land

(Fra Balladen om identiteten 1978/Side 64)

The Inuit eyes
are concentrating
around the TV screen

their consciousness
is confessing at the same time

Confession I:
I do not understand the language
I do not understand Danish or English
Either I do not understand the environments

Confession II:
I have bought my TV
because the others have it
because we have to learn Danish and English
because it is so modern
because it is wonderful and exciting

Confession III:
But I am really
a little bit worried
without saying anything
because maybe I shall forget my own language
because maybe I lose my own culture
because maybe I will be a foreigner
in my country

(From the Ballade of the Identity 1978/page 64)

round about a TV monitor
inuiteyes is
concentrating

at the same time
their subconscious
is confessing

Declaration 1:
I don't understand the language
i don't understand Danish or English
I don't understand the backgrounds

Declaration 2:
I have purchased a TV
because others do have one
because we got to learn Danish and English
because it is modern
because it is wonderful and exciting

Declaration 3:
Without telling I'm a little bit worried
because I'll eventually forget my own language
because I'll eventually lose my own culture
because I'll eventually become a stranger in my own country

(From The Identity debacle 1978/Page 64)

Mod de yderste øer
bruges de kølige farver
for at få den lynggrønne farve
til at blusse op i dalen
med en brusende elv

Havet summer I vinden
og hvide fugle
er på vej
til fiskebankerne
i synsranden

(Fra Midtstrøms 1995/side 25)

To the islands on the horizon
the colours are coldness
and they get the ling green colour
to be the strongest in the valley
with a brushing river

The sea is humming in the wind
and the white birds
are flying
to their fish banks
long away from here

(From The Middle Stream 1995/page 25)

Towards the outmost Archipelago
The cool colours are used
to get the heather green colour
flare up in the valley
with the rushing river



(From The Middle drift 1995/page 25)

My mothers language
Miss a lot of words
In the new
Information system
Where you can invite
The whole world
Into your livingroom

My words are not
Strong enough either
On the countries with deserts
And inside of the machines
Of the information technology

(from The Middle stream 1995/page 30)

You came so modest and silent
As a human being from the nature

The influence of the country side
Was visible in your face impressions

Your body gestures
Told that you are a closed case

I was so happy to hear
That you were respiring

The broken nail
On your right rands second finger

Must have hurt you a lot
When it happened

Had it taught you to hide the pain
Of your sensitive feelings

(From The Middle Stream 1995/page 68)

It has warm colors
It has cold colors
They are heavy and not heavy
So is the light among us
In the ring of the year

(From the Middle Stream 1995/page 127)

Every time I am looking at the paper
I begin to think
That I want to thank it a lot
And express my admiration
With this little speech:

Thank you paper
I like you very much
You are the key to my identity
And you have hidden
My warm and cold feelings.

Thank you paper
Because you are saying very seldom no
Because you are very tolerant
Even if your journey can be dangerous
And you become like the best soldiers
Among papers

(From Founded in the writing box 2001/page 71)

I want to send to you the message
That your father likes you very much
I want to hug you with warm feelings
And tell you
That the goals you have chosen yourself
Are yours.
That you are living for yourself.
I will respect your opinion
Without getting mixed up in them.
It will be my character as a father
Even if I sometimes
Am thinking long time
About serious things
- you will continue the life
- when I am on the graveyard
- you will understand my loyalty to you

12.39

(From The Land of the words 2003/page 93)

If you believe in, that
It is very easy to make art,
Never make art,
Let the time pass
And spend it to make your life
Happy and healthy.
But if you in your heart have some meanings
With this difficult device,
Go in to eternal work
Through the long way
To the satisfaction,
Which has the same function
As to loose the pain in your soul.
It will give you a lucky feeling
And a wonderful support
When you are the winner in the troubles.

13.00

(From The Land of the words 2003/page 95)

The satisfied artist
Is like snow the sun has smelted
And shut down
Into the wall of the mountain.
The sun will dry it to the air.
Nobody can see it longer.
The wind will let it fly
Until it can fall down to the earth again
As a snowflake.
But an artist
Will never stop fighting
With a creation until
The end of a process.
Sometimes the sun will let the soul be visible
In the expectation of searching the peace.

13.03

(From The Land of the words 2003/page 96)

The Honest artist
Need a lot of practice
He has to work very hard night and day
And he has to fight to spend
all the senses of feelings.
To remark even not important situations
And collect useless things in the world
From heaps in the studio.
Sometimes you'll expect help in vain;
Somestimes it is frustrating to expect help.
You have to try to made a result.
Come over the very difficult personal problem
Through the uncreated conscious.
Already from the first look
It is very difficult to stop
The started development.

12.14

(From The Land of the words 2003/page 99)

Let me confess to you
That I in the shadows of the stones
Very often is front of faces
They look as if they want to say something.
Their silent faces
Let their message
Come to the real life
Through me
That in the Land of the Inout (human beings)
They are strong and very valuable faces
Created by the nature as stones.
The round face over there
Seams to smile.
The shadow artist - the light -
Says at the same time:
We take care of you here and now.
Let us together
Come into the center of the human being
And give the soul an eternal continuing.

12.53

(From The Land of the words 2003/page 103)

I long to return and
Want to do something.
I put a little stone
In to a little hollow in the earth.
The hope has got its own room again.
I look at the flowers beside it.
They will fade in the coming times
Even if they are growing and beautiful
On the circles of the years
They have power enough, however,
To give consolation
To the desperate weep.

15.20

(From The Land of the words 2003/page 119)