By Caroline Smith
Only in my poems am I at home
No other shelter did I ever find
A fixed abode has never stirred my mind
A tent did not stand up against the storm
Only in my poems am I at home
If I but know I’ll find in the outdoors
This refuge, whether in town, the woods or moors
I fear no hardship, however far I roam.
It will be long yet, but the time will come
That before dusk my old strength lacks the spark
And vainly begs to raise the tender words
I used of old to build with and the earth
Must take me in and I bow down towards
The place my grave breaks open in the dark.
I think it is very inspiring to reproduce Caroline’s note which she send along with her entry explaining very eloquently about why she is interested in translating:
Dutch is my first language, but I have lived a large part of my life in an Anglophone environment and have now moved on to France; getting used to yet another medium. Learning to be totally ‘at home’ in another language, I find a fascinating process. Consequently, trying to move smoothly and without loss of meaning from one medium to another in both spoken and written language, has become a challenge.
Translating written texts, and poetry in particular, forces me to concentrate on the full meaning of the original. Moreover, I write poems myself (in English, which I find easier to handle for this purpose than Dutch) and I have found translating poetry excellent practice.
For more background information about how the winning poem was selected, read this article
