"Lover's Retreat" Plymouth Tobago...my home village.
Seh ah was to talk
to yuh
di way ah did learn?
Yuh woulda hear mi den?
If ah did come
clean
wid words cut
fram mi heart
runin ova mi tung
singin in a melody
dat doh match yours
Yuh woulda hear mi den?
If ah cyarry yuh
Lover's Cove
where ah grow
an hol yuh han
an tell yuh stories
bout playin skip
ova buried histories
unda sapodilla trees,
bout stan pipe jumbie
whisperin to mi
in de dark
we would tark
fuh hours.
Jus you an me.
It have a magic
in dese words
ah cyah spell it
but still.
Imagine a love song
when yuh play,
fingers movin
quick quick
touch an kiss ova
dem strings
try to catch de riddim
in dem yah word yah.
Star twinkin sky
black like mi skin
scar up wid life
jus suh.
Sumtin in me want to touch
sumtin in you;
deep inside yuh
di secret place
yuh have hide up from de worl.
But ah suh secret like secret
me haffi whispa it
tell yuh sorf
sun nobody nah guh hear.
Come leh we tark
jus me an yuh
secret secret.
"Ah neva mean it innuh
God hear mi
Ah neva mean it."
It is the start of an experiment and my growing interest in the use of language in Caribbean Literature. I am learning still so it will take some time. The idea came to me, having my expression limited in "standard" English, what if I was to send the same message in other languages, in my own "patois"/ "dialect". There is deep investigation and experimentation with languages in Caribbean literature, but this is my private exploration. Fun is always to be had within a new book. :-D
The picture carries a serene and inspirational message of a beautiful place to be born. The dialect might be improved with some consultation with Khyle. The poem commands attention, so tark tuh meh geuorl.
ReplyDeleteAre you really from Plymouth? My mother's mother was from Plymouth (Phillips) That's all I know. If you are, who knows, we could be related.
ReplyDeleteDon't like dialect poetry but this is okay. Question is, how can standardization of dialect be reached? From time to time I have recognized that there are ideas or concepts for which there are no single English words. Can't recall them now but a good example is a singular word inclusive of both 'he' and 'she'.
However, can't think of any idea that I could express in dialect that I couldn't adequately express in standard English, notwithstanding the fact that I don't think it is possible to exactly translate poetry from any language to another.
@ G. Newton
ReplyDeleteIt is not possible to "exactly" translate poetry from one language to another.. But you can translate the sentiment, and that I'm pretty certain THAT is what is the intent with this piece.
--Bless.
@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteI did check with him like you suggested and he did tell me some slips. I mixed some Jamaican pronunciation in there. Like "taak" instead of "tark" and "frum" and not "fram". It was interesting.
@Chance
In Tobago it would be "shim" of course that was used as both he and she in speech and to refer to homosexuals. But yes because dialect is meant to be spoken,and did not come with the initail idea of recording it, standardization at least in written language is difficult in terms of spellings and pronunciation of it. One tends to spell it as they hear it and so the spellings are often changed.
@ Charis and Chance
This exercise came about by miserable thought and exasperation in the expression of love. "What if I told you in another language?" :-) Yes it started as one of those silly ideas. The English Language has more words with more meanings than most of the other languages that might be available to us anyway. The beauty of dialect is that because there is no standardization one is free to make up words, and combine, basically create a pastiche in the speech and it is acceptable. Gives more freedom.