The Seal Woman - A Legend Retold

I encountered the Faroese legend of seal women in the Toronto Reference Library's rare book stacks. While I copied poems from a Faroese anthology, Jane flipped through a book called The Farthest Shore.  Turning the pages, she described the tales of unmarried suicides who lured men to sea from the safety of the shore.

Published to inspire and inform travellers to the islands, The Farthest Shore has two distinct parts. Jørgan-Frantz Jacobsen introduces the Faroe Islands with the poetic and tragic legend of the seal woman. The legend was just one of many handed down by oral tradition and placed into the written form by one of the Faroe's greatest writers. In the second half, Niels Elkaer-Hansen describes the culture and customs of early 20th century Faroe. A boat buoyed below a bird cliff illustrates the cover and is one of many of Ib Spang Olsen’s pencil illustrations in the book.

While Hansen informed, Jacobsen inspired. Tucked inside Jacobsen’s essay was a poetic backdrop that fused the Faroese storytelling tradition with the people, the place, and the legends of the islands. In the poetic tale, Jacobsen informed travellers in a way no travel guide could. Beyond the dates, names and places, and beyond the monetary, political and legal customs imported from the Danish Crown, were the beliefs of the fledgling dependency and the lifeblood of their threatened language. With this infused spirit, Jacobsen lured readers from the safety of their homes to the inhospitable islands at the edge of the world.

Legends of creatures that swim in the sea and live in the hills abound in the Faroese tradition of storytelling. Heðin Brú and other notable writers from the mid 20th century wrote in the midst of a modernizing Faroe, fusing folk legend and modern elements into their works. But are the storytelling traditions and legends still incorporated into Faroese literature today? Are the legends still important?

The Seal Woman - a legend retold and explored is a reflection on the spoken language before the written word and the growth of the Faroese literary form. Authors, Enna Garðshorn Mikkelsen and Elsa Heinesen, explore how early islanders experienced the seal woman legend long before modern writers put it to paper in the 19th century. They go on to explain why oral legends and storytelling are still meaningful to the Faroese today.

The Seal Woman is available in print from Sprotin in both English and Faroese.

Tóroddur Poulsen, translations by Randi Ward

Randi Ward has translated five poems from the collection Fjalir by Faroese poet Tóroddur Poulsen. The original Faroese-language poem and woodcut print accompanies each translation. Click on the link above each poem set to view the woodcut.

The complete collection of Fjalir in Faroese is available online at HNJ's and Rit og Rak.

Anne Carson, translated by Oddfríður Marni Rasmussen

Canadian poet and classicist Anne Carson has been given the nod by Faroese poet Oddfríður Marni Rasmussen. The poem Býur apostlanna (Apostle Town) can be found online at Vencil. To compare with the original, along with the complete collection of The Life of Towns, visit North Dakota State University, or buy the collection of poetry and essays, Plainwater, online at amazon. 

Oddfríður has translated many English-language poets, playwrights and authors into Faroese, such as Samuel Beckett, Raymond Carver, and Jim Carroll. Interested readers can find some of his translations, including a handful of his original works in the Faroese literary magazine Vencil. A collection of 12 translations of Anne Carson's poetic works, along with many other translations can be found in the 6th edition.

Oddfríður's English language short story"Age Erases Itself" and poem "From the bottom of the chest" are included in Vencil's English Special Edition, published in 2011.

For a more complete list of his works, along with a few pieces of his poetry, check out his wordpress page. Find a listing of his works produced in the Faroese literature magazine at Vencil.

Bárdur Oskarsson: Children's Books in Translation

A dog and a rat find a rabbit sleeping in the middle of the road, but the road is no place to sleep. The Flat Rabbit, by Bárdur Oskarsson, tells the story of two friends who breathe life into our ideas of death by giving one last hurrah for a rabbit whose life abruptly ended. Marita Thomsen's translation is one of the easiest works of Faroese literature to find in English, and is becoming one of the most popular, too.

Read two reviews of The Flat Rabbit here and here at Kirkus Reviews.

In the Cage: Poetry in Music & Translation

The University of the Faroe Islands have a translation of Janus Djurhuus's í búri along with a centennial commemoration (1914-2014) of Djurhuus's collection of poems, Yrkingar. This is the first individual collection of Faroese poems ever published!

The poem, í búri (in the cage) is said to be translated in 1948 by N. S. Kiernan. I have not found any record of this translator or whether the poem was anthologized with other Faroese poems, but it appears that the poem may have been translated to accompany a collection of music. I have located a cd with the same title and authors at the Icelandic library, so when I visit this May, I'll check in on it. For now, read í búri in translation, or listen to Harkaliðið's folk rendition:

George Johnston: Poetry in Translation

George Johnston's English language translation of Christian Matras's poems is likely to be the only dual-language book of Faroese poetry or any Faroese literature available. 'Úr Sjón og Úr Minni, or Seeing and Remembering', is a small book of short verses, and one of the last collections of poetry written by Christian Matras.

Seeing and Remembering contains 20 short verses, between two and eight lines each, with the original Faroese poems facing Johnston's translation. The book may appear sparse and is quite a peculiar oddity, but for language learners and appreciators of Faroese-language literature, this is a great and an important discovery.

In the '70's, Johnston visited the Faroe Islands, befriending and working closely with Christian Matras to translate and publish a small collection of his poems in Poetry Foundation's magazine 'Poetry', and later in the Faroese poetry anthology 'Rocky Shores'. Seeing and Remembering was published in '86, but there is no mention of whether they worked together to translate Seeing and Remembering. Johnston did get a chance to visit the Faroe Islands and his friend Christian Matras in the summer of '88, four months before Christian Matras died.

In 'Inward of Poetry', a book of letters between Johnston and his close friend William Blissett, it's suggested that Matras became Johnston's favourite modern poet, and is likely the poet who had the greatest influence on Johnston's late poetry. With this in mind, it becomes a little clearer why this peculiar little book exists.

George Johnston also translated Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen's 'Barbara' into English, a tradition handed down to him from Jacobsen's close friend Christian Matras. Matras translated Barbara from its original Danish into Faroese.

Randi Ward: Faroese Poetry in Translation

Writer and photographer Randi Ward has introduced us to the works of three Faroese poets: Sissi Kampmann, Vónbjørt Vang, and Tóroddur Poulsen. These poets, a mix of emerging and established talent, provide a glimpse into Faroese literature. Find the English translations and the poems in their original Faroese at words without borders, a magazine celebrating international literature. A biography of each poet accompanies each poem.

• Sissi Kampmann's the round table is the eye
• Vónbjørt Vang's on the bed
• Tóroddur Poulsen's The Expiration Date

Randi Ward also provides a great introduction to the contemporary Faroese literature, the writers working today, and the issues facing Faroese artists in her article "Rocking the Boat in the Faroe Islands".

Selections of Randi Ward's work can be found on her website with photography at broadzine.

Christian Matras: Faroese Poet

While still little known to English language appreciators of Faroese literature, Christian Matras may be our most accessible Faroese poet, thanks to the efforts of Canadian poet and translator, George Johnston. English translations of Faroese poetry remain few, so discovering, say, one forty-five page work by a writer who has published extensively in the Faroese language is kind of like striking a gold mine.

Christian Matras's poetry was influenced, much like other Faroese writers, by J.H.O. "Janus" Djurhuus, the poet often credited with modernizing and breaking Faroese poetry away from the strictly traditional folk legends and songs. Matras, like Djurhuus, became increasingly influenced by continental philosophy and poetry after studying in Copenhagen. Universal themes would increasingly be explored, but the pastoral island life, the folk legends and the land and sea would never be forgotten. Bridging traditional forms, such as the influential Thomas Kingo's hymns turned twentieth century Faroese folk melodies, with moderns themes, Matras's poetry was somewhat lighter than the 'troll-darkness' that underscored so much of Djurhuus's work. In Djurhuus, darkness often overpowered light, but in the next generation of authors and poets, such as Matras and Heinesen, an earnest appreciation for the landscape and Faroese life, despite the long, dark winters, were guiding themes. In one poem about the island of Matras's birthplace, ''Viðoy'' leaves port in the fog, with the tall cliff, Enniberg, breaking waves at the bow, the island's mountains as its sails and masts, and the sheep and islanders as its cargo.

Unlike a few of his contemporaries, Matras chose to write in the Faroese language, promoting the language even if it meant obscurity on the international scene. But his obscurity did not last long, well, maybe not entirely. By the seventies, the poet and translator George Johnston, well known for his translations of the Icelandic Sagas and other Nordic literature, began collaborating with Matras on English translations of his poetry. By the early eighties, Johnston translated a collection of Faroese poetry, called 'Rocky Shores', that included writers such as Matras, Heinesen, and Karsten Hoydal. Seven years later, Johnston translated a collection of Matras's short poetry; the only such publication of Faroese poetry available to English-language readers today.

Matras's contributions to Faroese culture and arts go beyond his poetry. In the early twenties, Matras published the first modern Faroese-Danish dictionary in collaboration with M.A. Jacobsen. Matras was also a highly regarded translator, and helped repatriate Danish language works by Faroese authors, such as William Heinesen and Jørgen Frantz Jacobsen, to the Faroese language. Translations of Voltaire and Jonathan Swift, among others, helped expand the accessibility of continental works for Faroese readers, just as Djurhuus did for Dante and Homer in the decades before.

• 'So Deep, So Deep' and 'The Company of the Blind', were published in an August 1970 issue of Poetry Magazine, and are available online at the poetryfoundation.org. 
• A selection of Matras's poems, such as 'So, Deep, So Deep', 'Viðoy', and 'the Milkmaids' were included in a collection of Faroese poetry, 'Rocky Shores', collected and translated in 1981 by George Johnston. This collection is not in publication any more, so check the stacks at your public and university libraries.
• 'Seeing and Remembering: Strophes', translated by George Johnston, is published by Penumbra Press in 1988 and is still available on their website.
• Matras's poems have also been put to music by Agnar Ellebye on the album ''Páll fangi og bygd og hav''. The song ''Ein løta við brian og agnar'' is available for download on amazon and musicme. The complete album is available from tutl, the Faroese music store.

Faroese Literature

On my trip to the Faroe Islands in 2013, I had the joy of visiting Heðin Brú's home town of Skálavík, on the island of Sandoy. The bus driver on the route between Dalur and Sandur discussed Faroese politics and literature with me, and was pleased to mention that he was a descendant of the great Faroese poet, J.H.O Djurhuus. Many Faroese have the privilage of such a lineage. The population of the islands is under 50,000 and many Faroese are authors, poets, musicians or artists.

While the bookshelves are teaming with recent Faroese publications and translations of foreign works, finding some of the great classic works, such as those from J.H.O Djurhuus, is difficult; most are long out of publication, and a few may be long forgotten. Some of the classics can be found on abebooks and ebay, but these choices are often costly. A collection of Djurhuus's poems retailed for over 100 CAD, including shipping; not a bad price for a serious collector, but far out of range for the average student seeking to explore Faroese poetry. Current Faroese publications, often from the Faroe's largest publisher, Sprotin, are still moderately expensive when compared to books available on this side of the Atlantic.

During my 2013 trip to the Faroe Islands, I was fortunate enough to find a recently published, beautiful, hardback edition of Heðin Brú's Stuttsøgur (short stories) from Rit og Rak in Tórshavn. At about 50 CAD (and weighing a hefty 1.5 kilograms), the price was worth it, and I didn't mind carrying the weight as I hiked from bygd to bygd. I also found the Faroese language Fedgar á Ferð (The Old Man and His Sons) in both paperback and compact disc, only to later discover that both were available online as an e-book and downloadable mp3 for much cheaper.

Sprotin's e-books are often more than half the price of their printed versions. Pól F's collection of poetry, Heilsan Pól F., for example, retails at 249 DKK (about 50 CAD) for the printed version, while the e-book retails for 129 DKK (25 CAD). Join the bookclub and save an additional 20 percent on Sprotin's electronic and printed publications.

Translators of Faroese Literature

Farlit has been promoting Faroese literature on the international stage since 2011. And since 2014, they have been coordinating grants for publishers interested in translating selected Faroese works into Nordic languages. Numerous translations of Faroese works into Nordic languages are available, however, translations into English are still underrepresented.

What follows is a list of translators that have translated Faroese literature into English. This list will continue to expand as translators come to my attention, and as Faroese literature continues to be promoted and new and inspired writers take on the task of translation:

• Heðin Bronn translated a collection of Faroese short stories, which included works from the Faroese language by Heðin Brú and Karstyn Hoydal, and from the Danish language by William Heinesen. This was the first anthology of short Faroese literature.
• George Johnston is perhaps one of the greatest translators of Faroese literature into the English. He translated the anthology of Faroese Poetry, "Rocky Shores", which included poetry from Christian Matras, William Heinesen (from Danish), and Karstyn Hoydal, among others. This is the only anthology of Faroese poetry available. Johnston translated a small collection of Christian Matras short poems in a bilingual edition titled "Seeing and Remembering", the only bilingual poem collection available. Johnston also translated Jørgan Frantz Jacobsen's Barbara. 
• Glyn Jones has translated works by William Heinesen.
• Matthew Landrum has recently translated short stories by Sólrún Michelsen and poetry by Agnar Artúvertin. His poems have also been translated into Faroese.
• Annfinnur í Skála is the author of both the Faroese-English and English-Faroese dictionaries. 
• Reginald Spink, best known for translating Hans Christian Andersen, translated a small pamphlet with a short essay by Jørgan Frantz Jacobsen and a brief description of the Faroe Islands for travellers (1965).
• Marjun Stewart translated "Under Southern Stars" by Gunnar Hoydal. 
• Marita Thomsen has recently translated two children's books by Bárður Oskarsson.
• Randi Ward has recently translated Faroese poems for "Words Without Borders", a magazine celebrating and promoting international literature. Translations include works by both established and emerging poets.
• John F. West is best known for his translation of Heðin Brú's "The Old Man and His Sons". This is the only Faroese language novel set in the Faroe Islands that we have available today. 
• Vencil, the Faroese literary magazine, published a special English-language edition in 2011. Numerous translators are likely to be present (hopefully I can get my hands on a copy!)

I look forward to seeing the emergence of contemporary translators such as Matthew Landrum, Marita Thomsen, Marjun Stewart and Randi Ward. These translators will bring English speaking readers a little bit closer to the current Faroese literary scene.

Maps

Readers interested in the Faroese landscape and cartography can view maps of the Faroe Islands through the Danish Geodata Agency. A section of the map is viewed in a tiny window, so you can't get the complete breadth and variation of the landscape. but you can get a little idea of what to expect from the 'Atlas', at a scale of 1:100,000.

Paper maps are available directly from the Faroes. Solberg has a complete collection of maps that are still in circulation, including fine scale (1:20,000) topographic maps from the Danish cartogropher, Kort & Matrikelstyresen. These maps, published in the late 80's, are great for hiking, or armchair travelling.

If you are interested in ordering maps, look out for falsað and slætt, which are the folded or rolled (sheet) versions of each map. Map coverage of an entire island can be purchased in bundles too, for a discounted price.

Faroese-English Dictionary (Orðabók)

The online, searchable Faroese-English and English-Faroese dictionaries are now accessible for free at Sprotin. Sprotin discontinued publishing the Føroysk-Ensk/English-Faroese dictionaries and previously offered a subscription service to access an online version of them, making ongoing study of the Faroese language costly. Now, with over 140,000 entries combined, studying Faroese has never been easier. The searchable dictionary does not recognize the inflections of nouns and verbs, so some understanding of Faroese grammar is still required. Twelve other dictionaries are also available for students who speak German, Danish, Spanish, and a dictionary for translating Russian into Faroese.

Manor: Vampires and the Faroe Islands

The great Faroe Islands Podcast has turned me onto a German short story set in the Faroe Islands. The German author, Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, who, despite never visiting the islands, manages the distinct Faroese landscape fairly well. "Manor" begins by describing the precarious position of the distant Faroe Islands with its unforgiving landscape, before a grim scene unfolds and dead bodies wash ashore.

Written over 130 years ago, the short story brings vampires and themes of homosexuality to the jagged shores of Vagar - quite ahead for a story of its time, calling some in the Faroese LGBT community to consider Ulrichs as a pioneer for gay rights.

There's much more to the story - and behind the story, including how the story resurfaced. The story of the story can be found at the Faroe Islands Podcast. Manor has been recently translated into Faroese by Birgir Kruse and Eiler Fagraklett and is available for sale at H N Jacobsens. Read the English translation of the short story for free, too.

Two Years of Learning Faroese

Faroese is something of a niche to students of language. Few people come by here. Some come to put an honest effort to learn Faroese, others come by to find a phrasebook or a dictionary, and maybe some come by just to read and connect with another appreciator of Faroese...

The Faroe Islands have received some attention in the press, often as a destination for travellers in awe of the beautiful and remote landscape with its turf-roofed houses. Others are connoisseurs of new-nordic cuisine, which is gaining ground in the capital. Many find a common interest in the burgeoning music scene, not to mention the G-festival; others still, the small but strong art scene that flourishes on a wee island out in the sea. Fewer still, come to appreciate Faroese literature, which is kind of what this blog has become about.

The Faroe Islands have never had mass appeal, and to be honest, that's not really a bad thing. It's probably what attract a lot of us to it. Not necessarily to say, ''we know something you don't know'', but to find something that isn't so easy, something that requires a little skill and ingenuity, and somewhere that requires patience and adventure.

Thankfully, we have great blogs and podcasts such as the Faroe Islands Podcast to promote it just enough to bring the Faroes to a truly appreciating audience. Without these podcasts and blogs, I may have driven myself a bit mad, as I patiently awaited my first arrival to the Faroe Islands. I listened to the sounds, the music, the news and, well, everything that was available. Most days, I still hear Workman's voice and cadence of speech, along with his collection of sounds, as I continue to explore Faroese life and landscape. My collection of Faroese maps have kept me in check too, even leading me astray most nights at home, despite their intended purpose of keeping me found. The maps have never ceased being a great source of inspiration for me; someone a little too obsessed with the landscape.

Since the beginning, Learning Faroese has become more than just an appreciation of the Faroese language. It has evolved into an appreciation of the Faroese landscape and weather, and especially of Faroese literature. As I spend my nights reading "The Faroe Islands: Interpretations in History", I'm fairly certain the breadth of this appreciation will only increase to include Faroese history, culture, politics and religion, as they helped define the Faroes and the distinct Faroese literature. And as I sit here, pondering the contents of my bookshelf, there appears to be much more to explore. The burgeoning collection of literature, booklets, maps and guides is enough to draw from. . . for now. And I look forward to the next few years, and hopefully a few visits to the islands, to help this appreciation grow.

Thank you Faroe!

The Third Blow: Faroese Tragedy and Theatre

Flóta means "to float". . . or "to flow". The subtle ambiguity of this single word perfectly captures so much of Faroe. Often, when browsing through the glossary of Lockwood's Modern Faroese, I get caught up in all these words, thinking what wonderful stories they inspire, and how they perfectly describe the Faroese landscape and the mood of the weather and sea.

Take vesturroði for example, which means "red in the west", referring to the red sky during sunset. The noun is reminiscent of the weather lore "red sky at night, sailor's delight", suggesting calm, cloudless skies are beyond the horizon, and prevailing winds from the west will push fair weather towards us. Eysturroði boðar morgunin, a line from "Bert ein stutt, litil stund, og eg fari" (Only a short little while, and I go), means "red in the east brings morning". The mood of the sky and sea would darken, bringing storms with heavy winds and heaving waves.

The Faroes were dependent on their fishing, and many tales and stories of men lost from stormy seas abound. The most striking story comes from the village of Skarð on Kunoy, a mountainous island in Norðoyggjar. On Christmas Eve, the men of the tiny village were lost at sea when sailing home with the Christmas Day's catch. The children, the elderly and the woman - all those dependent on the livelihoods of the seafaring husbands and sons - were left behind. The village never recovered and has since been abandoned. Gunnar Hoydal, a prominant Faroese playwright, author and poet, in collaboration with Nordic directors, choreographers, and composers, are trying to bring the story back, both to remind us of, and honour, those lost at sea and the loved ones who lost them. Check out Við Triðja Smeiti (The Third Blow - The Play) and consider making a donation. It's uncertain whether the play will get off the ground; unfortunately, there have been no updates since September of 2013, the centenary of the tragedy.

Faroe - New York Times 'Not to miss in 2015'

The New York Times named the Faroe Islands as one the Places to Go in 2015. Because of the beautiful, unspoiled landscapes? Not exactly. What about the turf-roofed houses and quaint seaside villages straddling steep green hillsides? Not quite. For food? . . .

Cuisines from the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Scotland may have suffered in the past, watching as their great bounty of seafood was shipped to foreign lands. But recently, talented chefs from these countries have been sticking around, making the most of what their homelands have to offer, from both the sea and the land. Scotland is perhaps more well known for this right now. Anthony Bourdain visited Edinburgh, in No Reservations, to prove once and for all that Scotland isn't just haggis, fish and chips, and deep fried Mars Bars.

Nordic cuisine has been in a revival over the past decade and Torshavn is the far-away, misty, isolated hot-spot of this new cuisine. People drawn to the Faroe Islands for their cuisine will be in for a surprise, but hopefully they will get a chance to explore beyond the capital of Torshavn, where the food isn't so new-new-new Nordic. Luckily for them, the Faroes is a synch to get around, and day trips from the bustling capital are plentiful.

Here are a few suggestions to make the most of a trip to the Faroe Islands:

• Keep the umbrella at home and invest in a waterproof jacket with a hood if you don't already have one. In fact, bring waterproof pants and boots, too.
• Don't have expectations of the weather. The mist and fog (and wind!) of the Faroes is part of the experience. It's this subtle give and take of light that provides the Faroes with so much expression. 
• Faroe is easy to get around, especially with a car, but travellers often miss utilizing one the Faroes' greatest offering - the helicopter. Helicopters provide services to some remote islands and settlements. It's surprisingly inexpensive, but book ahead and don't be surprised if the weather doesn't cooperate.
• Take the ferry to Mykines (pronounced Mit-chee-nes), but bring a spare plastic bag. This route travels across open sea, which means big waves and seasick passengers lining up to throw-up in the bathrooms...if they can make it. This is one of the best islands to visit, but if you can't handle the boat ride back, take the helicopter. 
• If you have one hike in you, go to the lighthouse at the northern tip of Kalsoy. This will bring you into the mountainous Northern Islands (Norðoyggjar). Take the short ferry from Klaksvik to Kalsoy, then drive below some of the most beautiful mountains Faroe has to offer, in and out of five narrow tunnels, before arriving at a red gate at the foot of a mountain. The hike to the lighthouse, Kallur, provides sweeping views of four of the Faroes most mountainous islands, including a view of the steep cliff, Enniberg on Viðoy, and Slættaratindur on Eysturoy.
  

Faroese Literature and my deep freeze

I'm sitting on the shores of Lake Ontario in a deep freeze, and the Faroe Islands could not be further away. Wind chills this year have been below -40 Celsius, and not a single day has passed that was above freezing. I flip through my collection of translated Faroese literature and notice that the latest work I own was written in the early 80's. The Faroe I know from the literature I read can feel somewhat aged. I don't mind so much, in fact, I enjoy reading early 20th century literature. I get a sense of the islands, a little bit of history, a feeling of how time has passed, and the origins and development of the burgeoning literary scene. But there is so much more, and so much that English-language readers, fascinated by the Faroe Islands, miss out on as Faroese literature progresses.

As I sit here, I think about the bookstores in Torshavn. The stores were filled with book lovers, and the shelves were alive with authors writing everything from the sociology of a Faroese hamlet, the development of their road network, poetry, crime thrillers, biography, children's books and translations of everything, from Voltaire's Candide, Shakespeare, Harry Potter, and even modern crime novels.

The Faroese literary scene is very active, but it's difficult to get even a glimpse of that feeling sitting in a deep freeze on this side of the Atlantic. Farlit has been promoting Faroese literature at book festivals throughout Europe. Heðin Brú's "Feðgar á Ferð" (The Old Man and His Sons) was recently translated into German, and was even found by a friend in a German airport bookstore. But the promotion of Faroese literature into the English language is not a result of the government funded and policy directed by Farlit, but a result of a new generation of poets, writers, and artists working today, merely for their interest and love for the literature of the islands. We're lucky to have them.

From myth to fact, and back to myth

A long time has passed since I first dreamt up Faroe in my mind. Since then, I have slowly filled in the dreams and imaginings with facts no less exciting, often themselves mythical and legendary in Faroese culture. As I filled in my understanding, I learned of islands that float, of priests who chained the islands to the sea floor, and of hidden people, called nykin, who live in the hills. 

I had to be careful when writing and thinking of Faroe. As I worked through my studies in school, I was all too easily led into the world of Faroe and found it difficult to leave, often at the expense of my studies. 

This blog was never forgotten. I never stopped thinking about Heðin Bru's short stories or the Faroese language. I never stopped thinking that every day that passed by without studying the language set me back. School is finished, and now I can return to the Faroe in my mind. 

Úti í Grøv og Mai-mynd

Àarinnar hvítu blettir
tekkjast gilsins botni í --
og við ósan alduslettir
sællir berjast barnastríð.

Og víð vágsins smáu brotum
duffar æðuríkisverð --
ríðandi á alduskotum
summarmjørkafleyrið fer.

Undan fjallatokusløri
hómast blettir, skúmi líkir --
kavalægd hjá grønum svørði
dikst við dalsins mórudíkir.

Christian Matras's first poem, Mai-mynd, was inspired by a park just outside the town of Klaksvik. If you have ever visited Úti í Grøv, you're sure to understand why the peaceful spot so easily inspires. The small campside just outside the park happened to be the first place we stayed on our visit, in August of 2012, and it quickly become our favourite place in the Faroe Islands, as we found ourselves spending our entire trip exploring and enjoying the area, neglecting even a full days stay in the captital!

On each visit to the Faroe Islands, we managed to spend quite a bit of our time camping at Úti í Grøv. Here, spruce and pine plantations straddle the banks of two cascading rivers, and wild heather bursts into purple flowers in the summer. Beyond the park's fence, following the two rivers upstream, the grass yields to the rock outcrop, and is surrounded on both sides by a steep headland. A large cleft cuts through the middle of the white cliffs towering beyond. I have always dreamed of standing on those cliffs, looking west upon the valley, with the park and plantation below, and possibly onwards towards Eysturoy and Streymoy. Standing there, I could shift my view from the endless sea in the south to the east, and look down upon the cozy settlement of Árnafjørður, nestled in the deep fjord, with Fugloy, Svinoy, and perhaps Viðoy, sailing in the sea fog beyond. But I would be sure to wait for a clear day to climb those cliffs, so I could look north along the spine of Borðoy's greatest mountains. Someday, I hope I will climb across those mountains, too.

The area has even inspired my own writing. In the fog, the area beyond what can be seen from the park below turns into a dream, with infinite brooks meandering through rock mazes. The world up there feels small yet immense. If the eyes are cast to the ground, the world of elves and hidden people abounds. Lifting the gaze, birds circle the towering ledges above, reminding us that ancient giants carved these great steps and seats. In one story, I take a walk up into this rock fall, in an attempt to view the towering Mykjanoyrarfjall.

Climbing to the Kviging pass one cloudy day, we were helped up the steep talus slope by the wind only to find a warm, sun-filled valley seated in the calm dry air below. It looked like paradise: the grass, this day, was greener on the other side. Unfortunately, we were not prepared to climb down.

Krossvatn, continued

This is a rough and very literal draft of Krossvatn. I will type out the early draft as it stands. We can see the similarities and differences between Faroese syntax and grammar.

Tað eru ikki nógv nýggjar, siðani eg var har norðuri. Hann hevði ligið lágt við áarføri 
It is not many years since I was there in the north. It had lied low with heavy rain

dagin fyri, so var hann malin upp til útnyrðingin um náttina, hevði   
the day before, when the north-west wind whirling up throughout the night had

klárað luftina og frysti í bein.
cleared the air and froze everything to bone.

Alt var avísað, eg fór av stað, svartakalkið lá sum ein glasskón um hvørja steinpirru, 
All was covered in ice, and I went along the thin layer of ice that laid a film of glass around a very small stone,

og hvørt keldufar botnfryst. Smáfossarnir norður gjørnum skorarnar hingu storknaðir
and around a little spring frozen to the bottom. The little cascades through the terraces in the north froze,

og glerpípur úr hvørjum lofti; tað barst mær fyri, sum roysningar skelktu út úr
and icicles hanging from under the cliff cracked before me, as walruses made faces out from the

fjallinum og vistu hesar øgiligu tøkutenninar.
mountain and showed their fierce fangs.