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Northern Alchemy: Shetlandic poems with versions in English
A bi-lingual collection of 40 poems, each in the original Shetlandic, along with a version in English. The poems will be selected from several of Christine De Lucas collections along with some as yet unpublished poems. Shetlandic is a unique dialect or language, a blend of Old Scots with strong Norse vocabulary and sound; the most distinctive within Scotland. Nordic poets, when they hear it, describe it as a cousin language.
- GenresPoetry
106 pages, Paperback
First published March 30, 2020
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25 people want to read
About the author
Christine De Luca
32 books3 followersChristine De Luca is a Scottish poet and writer from Shetland, who writes in both English and Shetland dialect. Her poetry has been translated into many languages. She was appointed Edinburgh's Makar, or poet laureate from 2014 to 2017. De Luca is a global advocate for the Shetland dialect and literature of the Northern Isles of Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 3, 2020
The latest book from the excellent Republic of Consciousness book club, Northern Alchemy by Christine De Luca is a collection of poems written in Shetlandic, with the author's conventional English renditions shown
From the blurb:
Shetlandic is a unique ‘dialect’ or language, a blend of Old Scots with strong Norse vocabulary and sound; the most distinctive within Scotland. Nordic poets, when they hear it, describe it as a ‘cousin language’.
There are already 4 excellent appreciations of the collection on Goodreads from four of my favourite reviewers and supporters of innovative literature from small presses:
Jackie: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Neil: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Robert: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Alan: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And the book club's own appreciation is here:
https://www.republicofconsciousness.c...
Although much of the collection focuses on nature, the poem that most leaps to mind is 'Sam but different' which addresses the issue of the bilinguality of the islands and of these poems:
Hae’in, fae de start, mair es ee wye o spaekin
o makkin sense o things, we laern ta fit
what we say ta whit’s lippened. Takk peety apö dem
at’s born ta wan tongue: dem at nivver preeve
maet fae idder tables. Raised wi twa languages
is unconscious faestin: twa wyes o tinkin.
Een extends da tidder; can shaa wis anidder wirld
yet foo aa wirlds is jöst da sam, but different
Same but different
Having, from the start, more than one way of speaking,
of making sense of things, we learn to fit
what we say to what’s expected. Take pity on those
born to one tongue: those who never taste even a morsel
from other tables. Raised with two languages
is unconscious feasting: two ways of thinking.
One extends the other; can show us another world
yet how all worlds are just the same, but different.
From the blurb:
Shetlandic is a unique ‘dialect’ or language, a blend of Old Scots with strong Norse vocabulary and sound; the most distinctive within Scotland. Nordic poets, when they hear it, describe it as a ‘cousin language’.
There are already 4 excellent appreciations of the collection on Goodreads from four of my favourite reviewers and supporters of innovative literature from small presses:
Jackie: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Neil: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Robert: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Alan: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And the book club's own appreciation is here:
https://www.republicofconsciousness.c...
Although much of the collection focuses on nature, the poem that most leaps to mind is 'Sam but different' which addresses the issue of the bilinguality of the islands and of these poems:
Hae’in, fae de start, mair es ee wye o spaekin
o makkin sense o things, we laern ta fit
what we say ta whit’s lippened. Takk peety apö dem
at’s born ta wan tongue: dem at nivver preeve
maet fae idder tables. Raised wi twa languages
is unconscious faestin: twa wyes o tinkin.
Een extends da tidder; can shaa wis anidder wirld
yet foo aa wirlds is jöst da sam, but different
Same but different
Having, from the start, more than one way of speaking,
of making sense of things, we learn to fit
what we say to what’s expected. Take pity on those
born to one tongue: those who never taste even a morsel
from other tables. Raised with two languages
is unconscious feasting: two ways of thinking.
One extends the other; can show us another world
yet how all worlds are just the same, but different.
March 20, 2020
Sam but different
Hae’in, fae de start, mair es ee wye o spaekin
o makkin sense o things, we laern ta fit
what we say ta whit’s lippened. Takk peety apö dem
at’s born ta wan tongue: dem at nivver preeve
maet fae idder tables. Raised wi twa languages
is unconscious faestin: twa wyes o tinkin.
Een extends da tidder; can shaa wis anidder wirld
yet foo aa wirlds is jöst da sam, but different
Same but different
Having, from the start, more than one way of speaking,
of making sense of things, we learn to fit
what we say to what’s expected. Take pity on those
born to one tongue: those who never taste even a morsel
from other tables. Raised with two languages
is unconscious feasting: two ways of thinking.
One extends the other; can show us another world
yet how all worlds are just the same, but different.
Northern Alchemy is a collection of 40 poems, each presented in both the original Shetlandic and then with a translation into English. The book is laid out such that, except for the longer poems, both versions are visible simultaneously. It is important to note, as the author says in the introduction, that the …intention in creating these English versions is to give as accurate a translation as possible, rather than compromise for the sake of making it ‘poetic’ in English or hiding behind the idea that it is somehow untranslatable…. The poetry is in the Shetlandic and the English version serves as a guide for those “born to one tongue” (that is not Shetlandic).
It takes a while to get into the flow of things, but there comes a point in the book where something clicks. I suddenly found that I was reading the Shetlandic versions and hardly referring to the English except for the odd new word I was seeing. Those who have English as their mother tongue can probably see that there is sense to be made from the original poem at the start of this review: and the more you read, the more you understand what is going on.
I am not sure what a Shetlandic accent sounds like, but I did find myself reading most of these poems out loud in the original version. I am sure anyone from the Shetlands who heard me would not have understood a word, but there is a beauty and a rhythm to the words that make them a pleasure to read/speak. When the language “clicks”, it is really worthwhile going back to the beginning and reading it all again.
My thanks to the Republic of Consciousness book club and Patrician Press for providing me with a very enjoyable book that I would never otherwise have considered reading.
Hae’in, fae de start, mair es ee wye o spaekin
o makkin sense o things, we laern ta fit
what we say ta whit’s lippened. Takk peety apö dem
at’s born ta wan tongue: dem at nivver preeve
maet fae idder tables. Raised wi twa languages
is unconscious faestin: twa wyes o tinkin.
Een extends da tidder; can shaa wis anidder wirld
yet foo aa wirlds is jöst da sam, but different
Same but different
Having, from the start, more than one way of speaking,
of making sense of things, we learn to fit
what we say to what’s expected. Take pity on those
born to one tongue: those who never taste even a morsel
from other tables. Raised with two languages
is unconscious feasting: two ways of thinking.
One extends the other; can show us another world
yet how all worlds are just the same, but different.
Northern Alchemy is a collection of 40 poems, each presented in both the original Shetlandic and then with a translation into English. The book is laid out such that, except for the longer poems, both versions are visible simultaneously. It is important to note, as the author says in the introduction, that the …intention in creating these English versions is to give as accurate a translation as possible, rather than compromise for the sake of making it ‘poetic’ in English or hiding behind the idea that it is somehow untranslatable…. The poetry is in the Shetlandic and the English version serves as a guide for those “born to one tongue” (that is not Shetlandic).
It takes a while to get into the flow of things, but there comes a point in the book where something clicks. I suddenly found that I was reading the Shetlandic versions and hardly referring to the English except for the odd new word I was seeing. Those who have English as their mother tongue can probably see that there is sense to be made from the original poem at the start of this review: and the more you read, the more you understand what is going on.
I am not sure what a Shetlandic accent sounds like, but I did find myself reading most of these poems out loud in the original version. I am sure anyone from the Shetlands who heard me would not have understood a word, but there is a beauty and a rhythm to the words that make them a pleasure to read/speak. When the language “clicks”, it is really worthwhile going back to the beginning and reading it all again.
My thanks to the Republic of Consciousness book club and Patrician Press for providing me with a very enjoyable book that I would never otherwise have considered reading.
March 2, 2020
Shetlandic, for those who do not know, is a dialect consisting of Scandinavian, particularly the Danish language Norn, later on this was fused with the Scottish dialect. This all explained by the author, Christine De Luca in Northern Alchemy’s introduction.
As a book blogger, I’ve read a lot of experimental, boundary pushing fiction but I never thought I’d read a poetry collection written in Shetlandic and although there was an English translation next to each poem, I still read the Shetlandic version first and then compared it to the English equivalent. In all it was a fun exercise.
Christine De Luca’s poems are about the natural world and all it’s guises. There are poems about the power of the sea, the first one called Gyaain ta da eela/Going evening sea-fishing. Water features a lot in this collection Bio-rhythms Da sea,hjarta, The sea, beloved one and Beach wark, Beach work.
Nature crops up in other forms though. The moon, birds, especially one poem about swans, farmland and rocks all make appearance, either helping humans or making humankind powerless.
There are a couple of poems which deviate from the natural world and focus on human nature instead. These are Queer things, Smiles/Strange things, Smiles and On da reboond/On the Rebound.
Every poem is a joy to read, having lived in a forest environment for 14 years, I could identity with Christine De Luca’s observations about sea, plant and bird life. There’s no use in pinpointing highlights as I thought each poem managed to stir memories and feelings. De Luca depiction of nature shifts, which I think is the essence of the natural world.
From a linguistic point of view, I enjoyed the similarities between Shetlandic and English, I also managed to identify words from Scottish dialect, mainly due to the fact that during my teen years quite a few Scottish authors incorporated it in their work, thus terms such as bairn (child) and ken (know) were familiar.
Just as a note that Northern Alchemy is a collection of Christine De Luca’s previously published poems with some unpublished ones as well. What struck me was how Christine De Luca manages to take a dialect and make it conjure powerful images, truly the power of language has no boundaries.
Many thanks to Patrician Press for providing a requested copy of Northern Alchemy
As a book blogger, I’ve read a lot of experimental, boundary pushing fiction but I never thought I’d read a poetry collection written in Shetlandic and although there was an English translation next to each poem, I still read the Shetlandic version first and then compared it to the English equivalent. In all it was a fun exercise.
Christine De Luca’s poems are about the natural world and all it’s guises. There are poems about the power of the sea, the first one called Gyaain ta da eela/Going evening sea-fishing. Water features a lot in this collection Bio-rhythms Da sea,hjarta, The sea, beloved one and Beach wark, Beach work.
Nature crops up in other forms though. The moon, birds, especially one poem about swans, farmland and rocks all make appearance, either helping humans or making humankind powerless.
There are a couple of poems which deviate from the natural world and focus on human nature instead. These are Queer things, Smiles/Strange things, Smiles and On da reboond/On the Rebound.
Every poem is a joy to read, having lived in a forest environment for 14 years, I could identity with Christine De Luca’s observations about sea, plant and bird life. There’s no use in pinpointing highlights as I thought each poem managed to stir memories and feelings. De Luca depiction of nature shifts, which I think is the essence of the natural world.
From a linguistic point of view, I enjoyed the similarities between Shetlandic and English, I also managed to identify words from Scottish dialect, mainly due to the fact that during my teen years quite a few Scottish authors incorporated it in their work, thus terms such as bairn (child) and ken (know) were familiar.
Just as a note that Northern Alchemy is a collection of Christine De Luca’s previously published poems with some unpublished ones as well. What struck me was how Christine De Luca manages to take a dialect and make it conjure powerful images, truly the power of language has no boundaries.
Many thanks to Patrician Press for providing a requested copy of Northern Alchemy
March 19, 2020
“Raised with two languages
is unconscious feasting: two ways of thinking.
One extends the other; can show us another world
yet how all worlds are just the same, but different.”
Northern Alchemy, by Christine De Luca, is a collection of forty poems that are printed in both the original Shetlandic and an English translation. This innovative format works well as readers may challenge themselves to understand the blended dialect of Old Scots and Norse before enjoying the translated version.
The sense of place in each of the poems is strong. There is an appreciation of the beauty and power of the natural world, and man’s place in it. Contemporary references exist but the overall feel is elemental, the language vivid and full-flavoured.
Not all are set on the Shetland Islands. This Material World describes an Icelandic volcano.
“earth rearranging herself, unslept, unsettled;
reminding us of her ways and timelines, our momentariness”
A feeling of timelessness permeates the collection. Beach work sees the narrator shunning the tasks they should be completing to appreciate the moment and treasure it. The importance of such prioritisation comes to the fore when considering the subject of What’s in a name? – the losing of memory when elderly.
“if the name I chose for you eludes me.
I’ll still sense mountain, water, love.”
Although poignant this is a reminder that parents can still exist, and find contentment, beyond their recognition of offspring.
Several of the poems explore the harvesting of nature’s goodness on both land and sea. There is a sense of freedom in walks taken as narrators observe and listen to birds, beasts, fields and streams. Those of different generations are appreciated, their lives leaving an imprint. Births are celebrated.
“The heavens themselves blaze forth nativity,
wrap a blessing round a little one whose first breath
reincarnates the dust of galaxies”
The beauty and pathos within these pages offers a strong evocation of people as just one, transient part of wider nature. Senses are heightened and what is of true value respected. Although never sugar coating, the poems are appreciative of the life and beauty of existence.
An uplifting and powerful collection. Recommended for all, not just those who already enjoy reading poetry.
is unconscious feasting: two ways of thinking.
One extends the other; can show us another world
yet how all worlds are just the same, but different.”
Northern Alchemy, by Christine De Luca, is a collection of forty poems that are printed in both the original Shetlandic and an English translation. This innovative format works well as readers may challenge themselves to understand the blended dialect of Old Scots and Norse before enjoying the translated version.
The sense of place in each of the poems is strong. There is an appreciation of the beauty and power of the natural world, and man’s place in it. Contemporary references exist but the overall feel is elemental, the language vivid and full-flavoured.
Not all are set on the Shetland Islands. This Material World describes an Icelandic volcano.
“earth rearranging herself, unslept, unsettled;
reminding us of her ways and timelines, our momentariness”
A feeling of timelessness permeates the collection. Beach work sees the narrator shunning the tasks they should be completing to appreciate the moment and treasure it. The importance of such prioritisation comes to the fore when considering the subject of What’s in a name? – the losing of memory when elderly.
“if the name I chose for you eludes me.
I’ll still sense mountain, water, love.”
Although poignant this is a reminder that parents can still exist, and find contentment, beyond their recognition of offspring.
Several of the poems explore the harvesting of nature’s goodness on both land and sea. There is a sense of freedom in walks taken as narrators observe and listen to birds, beasts, fields and streams. Those of different generations are appreciated, their lives leaving an imprint. Births are celebrated.
“The heavens themselves blaze forth nativity,
wrap a blessing round a little one whose first breath
reincarnates the dust of galaxies”
The beauty and pathos within these pages offers a strong evocation of people as just one, transient part of wider nature. Senses are heightened and what is of true value respected. Although never sugar coating, the poems are appreciative of the life and beauty of existence.
An uplifting and powerful collection. Recommended for all, not just those who already enjoy reading poetry.
April 1, 2020
Shetlandic Poetry in Original and In Translation
Review of the Patrician Press paperback edition (March 2020)
I thoroughly enjoyed Northern Alchemy due to its bilingual format of Shetlandic poetry printed face to face with its English translations. The especially wonderful aspect of Shetlandic is that somewhat like the broken down futuristic English in Russell Hoban's Riddley Walker (1980) it is pretty much comprehensible to a non-speaker when you read it aloud. It probably helps a bit if, like me, you are familiar with Germanic and Norse words through a heritage language such as my Estonian. Also it was rather terrific to see the letters ö and ü used in words that weren't German or Estonian, and I would know how to pronounce them.
Obviously the above take is rather subjective, but Christine De Luca's poetry describing Island nature, life and work with some diversions to Iceland had a raw beauty throughout which didn't require my inside baseball linguistic appreciation to enjoy.
I read Northern Alchemy as the March 2020 book perk from my support of The Republic of Consciousness Prize for small independent publishers.
Trivia and Link
You can hear Christine de Luca speaking Shetlandic and reading her poetry at this WikiTongues YouTube channel video here. You can turn on the subtitles, but they are a bot's phonetic transcription which hasn't been fully edited and corrected.
* Translated in Northern Alchemy as:
Review of the Patrician Press paperback edition (March 2020)
Raised wi twa languages
is unconscious faestin: twa wyes o tinkin
Een extends da tidder; can shaa wis anidder wirld
yet foo aa wirlds is jöst da sam, but different.
- from Sam but different* by Christine de Luca.
I thoroughly enjoyed Northern Alchemy due to its bilingual format of Shetlandic poetry printed face to face with its English translations. The especially wonderful aspect of Shetlandic is that somewhat like the broken down futuristic English in Russell Hoban's Riddley Walker (1980) it is pretty much comprehensible to a non-speaker when you read it aloud. It probably helps a bit if, like me, you are familiar with Germanic and Norse words through a heritage language such as my Estonian. Also it was rather terrific to see the letters ö and ü used in words that weren't German or Estonian, and I would know how to pronounce them.
Obviously the above take is rather subjective, but Christine De Luca's poetry describing Island nature, life and work with some diversions to Iceland had a raw beauty throughout which didn't require my inside baseball linguistic appreciation to enjoy.
I read Northern Alchemy as the March 2020 book perk from my support of The Republic of Consciousness Prize for small independent publishers.
Trivia and Link
You can hear Christine de Luca speaking Shetlandic and reading her poetry at this WikiTongues YouTube channel video here. You can turn on the subtitles, but they are a bot's phonetic transcription which hasn't been fully edited and corrected.
* Translated in Northern Alchemy as:
Raised with two languages
is unconscious feasting: two ways of thinking
One extends the other; can show us another world
yet how all worlds are just the same, but different.
- from Same but different by Christine de Luca.
July 23, 2024
Look up the Shetland dialect on Wikipedia and you'll see a video example of the language. Who should be the person in the video but Christine de Luca, a beacon of hope for languages crushed by English. De Luca was also Edinburgh's Makar for a wee while and she's got some pretty strong poetic chops.
If you watch that video you'll immediately recognise the rhythm and cadence of Shetlandic and if you skip to about 4:50 you'll hear a part of a poem in Shetlandic, followed by another completely in the dialect. In Northern Alchemy we've got 42 of those glimmering Shaetlan gems with side by side English translations. What a pure pleasure.
Certainly reading the poems in English and then in Shetlandic is like watching the poem be spun into gold. The reverse is not so true though, the English versions often feel workmanlike and clumsy when compared to the rolling rhythms of the Shetlandic verse. Because these poems were originally written in Shetlandic and then translated to English you'd have to say the alchemy actually turns gold to lead. Poetry should always be read out loud but it's especially true of Shetlandic works. It's got to be the most melodious Germanic root language, a blend of Danish Norn and Old Scots. It's also strange for a native English speaker because some of the words are the same or similar and the grammatical structure of the language is nearly identical. Sometimes it feels like you're just listening to a Dane with a really thick Scottish accent. If you read a few of the poems back to back you'll start to get the feeling for it quite quickly.
Here's some examples of the pitch and roll of Shetlandic up against the English.
From the poem At Sixty
The English is evocative but it doesn't have the fluidity of the original. You see similar differences again and again.
From Intimation
Just the simple substitution of Arctic Tern for Tirrick, and Oyster Catcher for Tjald makes such a difference. I remember Tirrick from Roseanne Watt's Tirrick Skull, There's something about an Arctic Tern that makes Tirrick feel more natural as a name. Whether it's their short sharp call, their shape, or the way they fly, Tirrick feels like a word that came from the bird's being, its true name.
Another example of the loss of rhythm through translation to English is from Frakka
Shoo can roo a yoo, or Show can row a yo, just can't be captured in English. The rhyme drives the speed of the line and you can clearly picture someone shearing at pace. Old Norse poetry is known for its alliteration, and while Shetlandic doesn't require alliteration it certainly shines with the sort of assonance displayed in this passage.
It seems clear that these languages are best preserved around the old ways of life. Shetlandic was last spoken widely amongst the fishermen of Shetland and thus it's natural that depictions of the sea carry some of de Luca's strongest poems. The same could be said for crofting work, which Shaetlan has known for a very long time. In some ways it's a language that makes work and mundanity both meaningful and beautiful. Another notable poem addresses being bilingual.
This collection allowed me to experience that unconscious faestin and its something I want more of.
If you watch that video you'll immediately recognise the rhythm and cadence of Shetlandic and if you skip to about 4:50 you'll hear a part of a poem in Shetlandic, followed by another completely in the dialect. In Northern Alchemy we've got 42 of those glimmering Shaetlan gems with side by side English translations. What a pure pleasure.
Certainly reading the poems in English and then in Shetlandic is like watching the poem be spun into gold. The reverse is not so true though, the English versions often feel workmanlike and clumsy when compared to the rolling rhythms of the Shetlandic verse. Because these poems were originally written in Shetlandic and then translated to English you'd have to say the alchemy actually turns gold to lead. Poetry should always be read out loud but it's especially true of Shetlandic works. It's got to be the most melodious Germanic root language, a blend of Danish Norn and Old Scots. It's also strange for a native English speaker because some of the words are the same or similar and the grammatical structure of the language is nearly identical. Sometimes it feels like you're just listening to a Dane with a really thick Scottish accent. If you read a few of the poems back to back you'll start to get the feeling for it quite quickly.
Here's some examples of the pitch and roll of Shetlandic up against the English.
From the poem At Sixty
Sheerlin on ringin strings vimmers
compared to
Birdsong on resonating strings trembles
The English is evocative but it doesn't have the fluidity of the original. You see similar differences again and again.
From Intimation
Your haert aye liftit whin you heard
tirricks back apö da skerry, a aerly tjald
transformed into
Your heart always lifted when you heard
artic terns back on the skerry, an early oyster catcher
Just the simple substitution of Arctic Tern for Tirrick, and Oyster Catcher for Tjald makes such a difference. I remember Tirrick from Roseanne Watt's Tirrick Skull, There's something about an Arctic Tern that makes Tirrick feel more natural as a name. Whether it's their short sharp call, their shape, or the way they fly, Tirrick feels like a word that came from the bird's being, its true name.
Another example of the loss of rhythm through translation to English is from Frakka
Sho can roo a yowe in a meenit
or
She can strip a fleece off in a minute.
Shoo can roo a yoo, or Show can row a yo, just can't be captured in English. The rhyme drives the speed of the line and you can clearly picture someone shearing at pace. Old Norse poetry is known for its alliteration, and while Shetlandic doesn't require alliteration it certainly shines with the sort of assonance displayed in this passage.
It seems clear that these languages are best preserved around the old ways of life. Shetlandic was last spoken widely amongst the fishermen of Shetland and thus it's natural that depictions of the sea carry some of de Luca's strongest poems. The same could be said for crofting work, which Shaetlan has known for a very long time. In some ways it's a language that makes work and mundanity both meaningful and beautiful. Another notable poem addresses being bilingual.
Sam but Different
Hae’in, fae de start, mair es ee wye o spaekin
o makkin sense o things, we laern ta fit
what we say ta whit’s lippened. Takk peety apö dem
at’s born ta wan tongue: dem at nivver preeve
maet fae idder tables. Raised wi twa languages
is unconscious faestin: twa wyes o tinkin.
Een extends da tidder; can shaa wis anidder wirld
yet foo aa wirlds is jöst da sam, but different
Same but different
Having, from the start, more than one way of speaking,
of making sense of things, we learn to fit
what we say to what’s expected. Take pity on those
born to one tongue: those who never taste even a morsel
from other tables. Raised with two languages
is unconscious feasting: two ways of thinking.
One extends the other; can show us another world
yet how all worlds are just the same, but different.
This collection allowed me to experience that unconscious faestin and its something I want more of.
December 29, 2023
Cool dialect - worth reading
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews