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Lydia Koidula

Post 1

Ivan the Terribly Average

Tere. smiley - biggrin

I went to a second-hand market today and rummaged through the bookstalls as I usually do. This time I found a volume of Lydia Koidula's poems, printed in Tallinn in 1957. I simply *had* to buy it, even though I can only read one word in every 500... I mean, one never finds anything in Estonian here, let alone a 400-page hardback book. (The man selling the books looked relieved that someone wanted to buy this strange book in a language he didn't recognise.)

Anyway. Now that I've bought the book (for $5) I need to do something with it. I could send it to Mum and ask her to translate it, but she doesn't enjoy translating. I could also try myself, one poem at a time, using the dictionary and asking you if I have questions. But right now, the question is whether this is a good thing to do. Are the poems that good? Should I spend my time doing this? Is there any particular poem that's worth the effort? In fact - do people still read Koidula's works?

smiley - redwineIvan.


Lydia Koidula

Post 2

Hati

smiley - wow Interesting indeed. smiley - biggrin

People still read her works. Even more so they still sing those. One of her poems appears to be the unofficial anthem of Estonia. In fact they even considered making it official at some point. Lyrics in English can be found here: http://www.singingrevolution.com/cgi-local/content.cgi?pg=2&p=12
Kids learn her at school.
Everybody knows her.
Lot of people loves her works.
Translation can be hard though, it's sort of old language. I'll try to look around if there's some more ready translations.


Lydia Koidula

Post 3

Hati

Oh, and I forgot to mention that she was in fact that important that we have her on 100 EEK bill. smiley - smiley
Wikipedia has almost reasonable entry on her.


Lydia Koidula

Post 4

Hati

Another translation of the song: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/My_Country_is_My_Love


Lydia Koidula

Post 5

Ivan the Terribly Average

Thanks. smiley - smiley

I did notice that some words have footnotes - I assume they're the more old-fashioned bits of language. That sort of thing would put Mum off translating, I know. Her formal education happened in English, so she doesn't always have the 'literary' language in the front of her mind.

It might be interesting to read the original version against a translation, just to see how much I understand. (Not much at all, probably.) Right now, though, I should go and get some sleep. See you tomorrow, probably.

smiley - choc


Lydia Koidula

Post 6

Hati

Probably you'll have to learn some Estonian. smiley - zen Do you at least have a decent dictionary?
Oh, and sleep well. smiley - hug


Lydia Koidula

Post 7

Ivan the Terribly Average

I have a very basic dictionary, but no grammar guide. It's a problem that I was never taught to *read* Estonian, only to say and understand the sort of language appropriate for a small child. The older people had their reasons, of course - it was all about us integrating into Australian society and not isolating ourselves. As a result, I can correct the English of native speakers but not read anything my grandmother wrote and left in her belongings. This is unfair.

Even worse, I don't have the time to study the language properly these days. I'll have to retire before I get enough time. Hopeless, isn't it?


Lydia Koidula

Post 8

Hati

I wouldn't be able to learn any language on my own. Estonian is so much different from English. smiley - erm


Lydia Koidula

Post 9

Ivan the Terribly Average

Naturally, there's only one place to learn Estonian these days... Perhaps I should start saving for the airfare.

In a way I'm annoyed that I didn't learn properly when I was younger, when it would have been easier for me. But the old people made their decision, and I have to accept that they had the best possible reasons, even if it did leave me with an ability to say only basic things like 'hello', 'goodbye', 'thank you', liverwurst' and smiley - weird 'where is your umbrella'.

But never mind. I have a book, and a dictionary, and I like a challenge. smiley - silly


Lydia Koidula

Post 10

Hati

smiley - laugh Good, I'll find you a grammar book then. smiley - biggrin

(Umbrella?! smiley - rofl)


Lydia Koidula

Post 11

Ivan the Terribly Average

Yes, an umbrella. There was a lot of vihm about that day, as I recall.

A grammar book would be a great help. smiley - biggrin

Incidentally, among my grandmother's papers we found a 'teach-yourself-Dutch' book. As far as I know she never did teach herself, but she'd certainly have tried. Once upon a time she had a Dutch boyfriend, Mum recalls... I assume this was before she married Mum's stepfather, but one can never be sure with her.


Lydia Koidula

Post 12

Hati

smiley - laugh No, I never tried to learn Dutch. smiley - laugh
(Not that you asked.)

I'll look around for the books. I know there's one teach-yourself book for Russians, I must check if there's a word in Russian in it as well or is it only pictures and Estonian. smiley - evilgrin


Lydia Koidula

Post 13

Ivan the Terribly Average

Itt's almost impossible to find English/Estonian texts here. Even the tourist phrasebook is a Baltic States phrasebook, which is absurd considering the three languages have nothing in common apart from their incomprehensibility to outsiders...

I've had another quick look at Koidula, and I'm more and more surprised the Soviets allowed such a patriotic book to be published. Or did they not censor Estonian-language books, because only Estonians could read them? (I was told this once by one of the old people, but he had a reputation for not being completely truthful...)


Lydia Koidula

Post 14

Hati

Oh, but they did censor mostly everything. With Koidula the thing is that her patriotic feelings were "against" Germans. She was "fighting against German usurpers" or whatever the expression was those days. smiley - whistle


Lydia Koidula

Post 15

Ivan the Terribly Average

Ah, I see. Historical (mis)interpretation can justify anything. How odd, that they couldn't see the irony... smiley - silly


Lydia Koidula

Post 16

Hati

Yes, it's the interpretation, that matters. smiley - smiley


Lydia Koidula

Post 17

Ivan the Terribly Average

Maybe it's a sign of good poetry, that it can be all things to all people. smiley - zen


Lydia Koidula

Post 18

Hati

Could be indeed.
Then again, most of people can be disposed. Give them a ready explanation and say that it has always been like this, and they believe it and carry on the "truth".


Lydia Koidula

Post 19

Ivan the Terribly Average

Yes, that's perfectly correct. It's a bit like our last Prime Minister (smiley - yuk), who managed to convince a lot of people that he could manage the economy. Somehow everyone forgot that he was the Treasurer from 1975 to 1983, and that when he had that job the country almost went broke. smiley - weird Presumably if you say something often enough and loud enough it becomes true.


Lydia Koidula

Post 20

Hati

Yeah, and then there are self-fulfilling expectations and such. smiley - zen


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