A reading of the Frisian poem 'Sy wennet yn in baarnend hûs'

This was filmed for Omrop Fryslân on the 5th of december in Leeuwarden during a Poetry evening. Below you can read the English translation of the poem by David Colmer:

she lives in a burning house
every storm takes a tile from the roof
it's cold her teeth chatter
someone outside thinks up new rules for traffic
an old man cycles on
newspapers stuffed under his clothes
she walks out with a basket full of washing
black sheets black blankets black
pillowcase she sees the fields are burning too
no point in going out
it's better back inside the walls
flames dancing on his portrait
letters fall unasked through the door
rustling down not reaching the mat her cat
jumps onto her lap with a vegetable desire
to be stroked she pours more meths
over the photo albums wipes
the ash from her glasses and reads
and reads and reads

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Tsead
• Bruinja
• David
• Colmer
• Omrop
• Fryslân
• poetry
• gedicht
• baarnend
• hûs

[mulletinatransam]

Ever since discovering how similar it is to English, I have become fascinated with the Frisian language. Thank you for posting.

[tseadbruinja]

@mulletinatransam Thank You!

[tseadbruinja]

/ its better back inside the walls / flames dancing on his portrait

letters fall unasked through the door / rustling down not reaching the mat her cat

jumps onto her lap with a vegetable desire

to be stroked she pours more meths / over the photo albums wipes / the ash from her glasses and reads and reads and reads

[tseadbruinja]

she lives in a burning house / every storm takes a tile from the roof / its cold her teeth chatter / someone outside thinks up new rules for traffic / an old man cycles on

newspapers stuffed under his clothes / she walks out with a basket full of washing

black sheets black blankets black / illowcase she sees the fields are burning too / no point in going out

[tseadbruinja]

Sorry not to have reacted any earlier! The woman is living in a house that is on fire forever.

Best,

Tsead

[urbandiscount]

flames dance in his portrait

letters fall unasked for through the door

swishing down not reaching the mat her cat

jumps on her lap plant-like desiring

to be stroked she pours more meths

onto the photo albums wipes

the ashes from her specs and reads

and reads and reads

[zenfox6]

As an American English speaker, I couldn't make out any of the words, but I love the sound of Frisian, and the cadence of the poem. Reading the English translation of the poem, it makes an impression.

[petelucas51]

I too have become intrugued by Frisian. I kind of understand bits of it although I was in Holland for a while Nederlands was the tongue spoken.. This to me sounds like a wierd dialect of old/middle English. I am sure peole in Newcastle would find this quite easy Thanks for posting

[tricky778]

@DerPoltergeist13 It seems this is closely related to the English word "wont" as in "she spent all her nights in a burning house, as was her wont" :)

[Saxonsoldiers]

Its related to OldEnglish, contains the same sounds,the,in, there,with,And, are just a few that English shares with Frisian.

[DerPoltergeist13]

Here Wennet does not mean went, it is the same meanng as the german Wöhnent.. Sy wennet = Sie wohnt.. it means to dwell, to live.