Friday, April 17, 2009

Friday Flash Fiction: The Gondolier

The Scots translation of Gone with the Window is due to appear in Lallans magazine, but I wanted to put this translation of The Gondolier up here so everyone else could read it too. I really enjoyed this as it’s the first translation I could properly understand. Scots is close enough to English that you can follow it, especially if you read it with a Scottish accent. :o)


The Gondolier
By Gareth D Jones


The black horn o ma gondola made its wey saftlie throu the lown waters o the canals. The sleek veissel had served me weel fir mony a year, cairriein fowk throu the city’s waterweys unner the guidin hauns o generatiouns o ma anceistors.

The sun wis gan doun ower the auld toun, wi the water turnin an inkie ribbon atween fantoosh sandstane biggins. A soukit in the coul evenin souch.

Is thar onie place bonnier than this braw city o canals? As the boat eased itsel hame A stoppit tae gowp wi satisfactioun up intil the derknin lift o Mars.




Translated by Steve Porter

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