Nov 2019
Translated by Przemyslaw Musialowski 11/2/2019
Forget-me-nots are
true fairy-tale flowers!
They grow by the brooks,
and with curious eye they look.
When you take a walk
they softly laugh
and they whisper modestly,
"don't forget about me."
Maria Konopnicka (1842-1910)
________
I am not sure if "when you take a walk" is correct, maybe it should be "when you're taking a walk". Or even maybe both versions are wrong ;) Sometimes it is harder to translate something that short than much longer poems :(
Forget-me-nots are
true fairy-tale flowers!
They grow by the brooks,
and with curious eye they look.
When you take a walk
they softly laugh
and they whisper modestly,
"don't forget about me."
Maria Konopnicka (1842-1910)
________
I am not sure if "when you take a walk" is correct, maybe it should be "when you're taking a walk". Or even maybe both versions are wrong ;) Sometimes it is harder to translate something that short than much longer poems :(
Maria Konopnicka's funeral in Lviv was attended by almost 50,000 people, and to this day this great poet has her own and special place in the hearts of ordinary Polish people.
Konopnicka's poetry has a pinch of Hans Christian Andersen's magic and warmth, and this warmth and magic is not lost in free-verse translation.
Enjoy!
Konopnicka's poetry has a pinch of Hans Christian Andersen's magic and warmth, and this warmth and magic is not lost in free-verse translation.
Enjoy!
