Wednesday 19 April 2017

SCOWTH


Scowth is scowth, whitever fur?
Aathing that delicht yer gurr,
Gif ye're share ye'll mind ava
No tae brak an aesome la.


That's an attempt at a Scots translation of the English of:

http://johnirons.blogspot.co.uk/search?updated-max=2015-01-22T12:21:00%2B01:00&max-results=10

which translates the Danish of:

http://tosommerfugle.blogspot.dk/2012/07/piet-hein-trste-gruk-om-frihed.html

Does it make any sense to any readers from the Netherlands?

1 comment:

  1. From a Danish perspective, I notice that the translation by John Irons did not quite match the quirkiness Piet Hein used in his grook. Instead of just reminding people not to flout any laws, he suggests to make sure to not even want something which you may not do. Then, you have the freedom of not being restricted by the law :-)

    I'm reminded of The Little Prince, where the king of one of the asteroids makes sure that he is always obeyed. "If I ordered a general to fly from one flower to another like a butterfly, or to write a tragic drama, or to change himself into a sea bird, and if the general did not carry out the order that he had received, which one of us would be in the wrong?" the king demanded. "The general, or myself?"

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I'm glad to hear how this strikes you!