Learning nynorsk through poetry and photography
A Voice from Norway brings the Norwegian language and landscape to life
Photo: Grethe Bjørdalsbakke
The photos of Grethe Bjørdalsbakke bring Ottar Løvsll’s poetry to life in A Voice from Norway, with scenes from the western Norway landscape, where both poet and photographer are at home.
A Voice from Norway is a newly published dual language collection of poetry illustrated with scenic photographs from the western part of Norway. The book is structured with poems authored by Ottar Løvoll in nynorsk, with each verse translated into English and presented side by side opposite of each other
Many of Løvoll’s ancestors emigrated to the United States more than 100 years ago, and their descendants continued their lives in the new country. His relatives and other Americans of Norwegian descent, often long to hear a voice from Norway. They enjoy listening to this voice in Norwegian, but the language has become more or less unaccessible to many, and poetry in a foreign language can be difficult to comprehend. This led to the idea that the poetic version of A Voice from Norway could be read and enjoyed by many in a side-by-side presentation of poetry in the Norwegian and English languages.
The 36-page book starts with the poem “On a Western Farm.” This is a representation of a typical farm that young men had to leave in search for a new life in North America. The descendants of these emigrants and the author of A Voice from Norway and all who hail from a small farm in western Norway share these same roots. Thousands of Americans share this same heritage.
Many of the poems are inspired by the natural scenery of the fjords and the mountains and their effect on people in this rural social setting. The photos are from the Ørsta community where both the author and the photographer, Grethe Bjørdalsbakke, live today. The translator, Torild Homstad, is based in Northfield, Minn.
The lyrics in A Voice from Norway also depict the daily chores on a small mountain farm where the author grew up. They describe the various farm tools and how they are used. The poetry also ventures into the life in the old town, sorrow and joy, glory, and what the eyes see during the seasons of the year, on the mountains and by the rivers. The lyrics explore the rivalry between the sun and the moon and venture into love and jealousy.
A Voice from Norway is an enriching experience for all curious lovers of poetry, especially for those who love Norway.
To learn more about A Voice from Norway, see store.bookbaby.com/book/A-Voice-from-Norway, or email einar.aec@gmail.com.
På vestlandsgard
Femten år på ein vestlandsgard
Eit arvegods frå ein oldefar
Femten år med så mange vende
dagane hadde ingen ende
Femten somrar på slåtteteigen
Femten vintrar på sledemeien
Femten haustar med spett og spade
alle steinane låg i rader
Åtte dagar ved møkkasleden
Åtte dagar med vinterveden
Åtte dagar bak åkerplogen
Åtte dagar i planteskogen
Femten år på ein vestlandsgard
Eit arvegods frå ein oldefar
Med spett, med spade
med ljå, med rive
Slik vart du bedda for heile livet
On a Western Farm
Fifteen years on a Western farm
An inheritance from a great-grandfather
Fifteen years with so many turns of the plow
days without end
Fifteen summers in the hayfields
Fifteen winters on the sleigh runners
Fifteen falls with crowbar and spade
all the stones lay in rows
Eight days hauling muck
Eight days hauling firewood
Eight days behind the plow
Eight days working in the woods
Fifteen years on a western farm
An inheritance from a great-grandfather
With crowbar, with spade
with scythe, with rake
Forms your whole life
This article originally appeared in the Sept. 3, 2021, issue of The Norwegian American.
