Laura Purdie Salas

Writing the World for Kids

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[Poetry Friday] “The Elf”

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I’ve finished highlighting the picture book poetry books?on the CYBILS shortlist now. What a great bunch of books!
Now I wanted to share a poem from A Little Bitty Man, which I read a while back.
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The style of poems in this book actually isn’t?the kind that’s my particular taste. But what I found totally amazing was that these were Danish poems by Halfdan Rasmussen, translated into English by poet Marilyn Nelson and Pamela Espeland. I am stunned that they were able to turn Danish poems into English ones that are still charming and with meter and rhyme that totally works! I wish I read Danish so that I could really get a sense for how this transformation happened. Meanwhile, here’s?a lovely little bitty poem:
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The Elf
The elf puts on his winter coat
and puts his winter hat on,
finds a muffler for his throat
in his drawer–puts that on,
packs his pockets full of mice
and then, before he goes,
puts on an empty ice-cream cone
to insulate his nose.
–by ?Halfdan Rasmussen, translated into English by poet Marilyn Nelson and Pamela Espeland
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See Kevin Hawkes’ cute illustration below:
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April Halprin Wayland at?Teaching Authors has?today’s Poetry Friday roundup?– enjoy!
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Comments

  1. I can’t imagine this in Danish! Like you, it would have been interesting to have been able to compare the versions – was anything lost in translation? Although it certainly doesn’t appear to have.

  2. I can’t imagine this in Danish! Like you, it would have been interesting to have been able to compare the versions – was anything lost in translation? Although it certainly doesn’t appear to have.

  3. So cool! I can’t imagine why he has mice in his pockets. What a surprise! But you are so right; translating it into such a charming poem that works in English too is a really masterful feat!

    • I figured the mice are insulation–but now I wonder if those were in the original. I’m thinking yes, since the word “mice” isn’t needed for rhyme. Writer Hope Vestergaard has offered to do a literal translation of the original if I can find it in Danish. But I’ve hunted around a little this morning and can’t find it. If anyone else is able to find the Danish version online, we’ll ask Hope to do the honors:>) I did find the beginning of an article Marilyn and Pamela wrote for Children’s Literature, but it costs $20 to buy the article. The excerpt itself is pretty interesting on its own, though: http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/chl/summary/v010/10.waniek.html

  4. So cool! I can’t imagine why he has mice in his pockets. What a surprise! But you are so right; translating it into such a charming poem that works in English too is a really masterful feat!

    • I figured the mice are insulation–but now I wonder if those were in the original. I’m thinking yes, since the word “mice” isn’t needed for rhyme. Writer Hope Vestergaard has offered to do a literal translation of the original if I can find it in Danish. But I’ve hunted around a little this morning and can’t find it. If anyone else is able to find the Danish version online, we’ll ask Hope to do the honors:>) I did find the beginning of an article Marilyn and Pamela wrote for Children’s Literature, but it costs $20 to buy the article. The excerpt itself is pretty interesting on its own, though: http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/chl/summary/v010/10.waniek.html

  5. Perfect poem for this cold, blasted weather. I think I need to find a special cone to insulate my nose! Haha! What a fun poem, Laura!

  6. Perfect poem for this cold, blasted weather. I think I need to find a special cone to insulate my nose! Haha! What a fun poem, Laura!

  9. I love the repetition of “puts on,” “hat on,” and “that on.” You wouldn’t think it would work, but it’s wonderful. I was on a Garcia Lorca kick a while back and wondered the same thing about translations. And I always think it’s fun to see translations of the same poem from multiple translators. Makes you wonder sometimes what the original really did say.

  10. I love the repetition of “puts on,” “hat on,” and “that on.” You wouldn’t think it would work, but it’s wonderful. I was on a Garcia Lorca kick a while back and wondered the same thing about translations. And I always think it’s fun to see translations of the same poem from multiple translators. Makes you wonder sometimes what the original really did say.

  11. What an adorable poem. It does have very spunky rhymes and the ice cream cone is wonderful.

  12. What an adorable poem. It does have very spunky rhymes and the ice cream cone is wonderful.

  13. I also want to know the story behind the mice in the pockets-food? It is a lovely story poem, with such nice rhythm. There has to be a story behind this-is the poet a beloved children’s poet in Sweden, or ? Thanks Laura, for the little bitty poem!

    • I figured insulation–like a living muffler! See my reply to Andi Jazmon below and the excerpt, which gives a bit of Rasmussen background…

  14. I also want to know the story behind the mice in the pockets-food? It is a lovely story poem, with such nice rhythm. There has to be a story behind this-is the poet a beloved children’s poet in Sweden, or ? Thanks Laura, for the little bitty poem!

    • I figured insulation–like a living muffler! See my reply to Andi Jazmon below and the excerpt, which gives a bit of Rasmussen background…

  17. Those pockets full of mice make me curious about what happened next. Thanks for introducing us to this interesting book. I’m with Doraine, in that I’d like to see how others translated it as well.

  18. Those pockets full of mice make me curious about what happened next. Thanks for introducing us to this interesting book. I’m with Doraine, in that I’d like to see how others translated it as well.

  21. What a cute cover and yes how clever to translate, make it rhyme and it still be the same poem. Wow!

  22. What a cute cover and yes how clever to translate, make it rhyme and it still be the same poem. Wow!

  27. This looks like a charming book. It would be fun to see a literal translation. I also love the interesting rhymes — that on and hat on — that totally work. Thanks for telling me about this one.

  28. This looks like a charming book. It would be fun to see a literal translation. I also love the interesting rhymes — that on and hat on — that totally work. Thanks for telling me about this one.

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