with the tip of my spring tongue, ayîki frog
your mouth will be the web
catching apihkêsis words, spider
a crawling-out ceremony
that cannot be translated.
hâw, pîkiskwê! Now, speak!
I’ll teach you Cree, nêhiyawêwin the Cree language
that is the taste
of pimiy êkwa saskarômina fat and saskatoon berries
Your mouth will be the branches
I am picking clean,
a summer heat ceremony
that cannot be translated.
hâw, pîkiskwê! Now, speak!
I’ll teach you Cree
in the winter, pipon winter
when the dogs curl against our backs.
Your mouth will be pawâcakinâsis-pîsim the frost exploding moon
that cannot be translated.
It will be a ceremony.
hâw, pîkiskwê! Now, speak!
I’ll teach you Cree
ê-kohk mistahi ê-sâkihitan. because I love you a lot
It will be in the fall, this ceremony.
You will have the mouth of a beaver,
thick and luminescent.
I will make my camp there
ê-kohk mistahi ê-sâkihitan. because I love you a lot
This cannot be translated.
hâw, pîkiskwê! Now, speak!
- The poem mixes Cree words and their translations with descriptions of ceremonies “that cannot be translated.” What do you think gets lost in the translation from one language to another?
- How does the poet use repetition in this poem? What’s the effect?
- How does the speaker use natural imagery to celebrate his love?
- In what ways does the poet invoke sensual imagery in the poem?
- If you were going to recite this poem, what kind of pause would you place between the words in Cree and their translations? Would you use another tone of voice for them?
- If you know another language, write a poem that moves between English and your other language, translating what you can and noting what is untranslatable.
Useful Links
Check out the Online Cree Dictionary: http://www.creedictionary.com/
Read an interview with Gregory Scofield here: http://www.januarymagazine.com/profiles/scofield.html
“I’ll Teach You Cree” by Gregory Scofield from Kipocihkân, Nightwood Editions, 2009, www.nightwoodeditions.com.