On one level, Kathleen Jamie’s The Keelie Hawk is impossible to read – that is unless you happen to be fluent in Scots. Luckily on every verso page is an English ‘translation’ of the Scots poem, all of which meant I could only read the translations and not the original poems.
Given the musicality of the language, I suspect when read aloud the Scots poems would be wonderful to listen to, full of rhythm and musicality. I can imagine the experience being quite intense and emotional. But a problem arises when reading the English versions. In many cases these are not poems at all, lacking any musicality and rhythm; and much of the language is prosaic to the extent that the ‘translations’ don’t work as poems at all.
I suspect the translations are purely literal. It might have been interesting to have had an English ‘poetic’ interpretation carried out – even if that would have creating something two steps removed from the original.
I applaud the endeavour, though I think it will appeal / speak to a very limited audience.
Ian Gouge - Writer 