Aukje-Tjitske Dieleman was the RIXT poet of the month in March. You can read her original Frisian poem here. The English translation of her poem – ‘Far from home’ – is published below.
Far from home
Far from home
language leaps
out at you
the sea wall
is blinding
the meadows
of memory
make your
eyes sting
Far from home
you build another
bring your language
along with you
yet your accent changes
your eyes adjust
your ears no longer
capture the language
the dykes
and meadows
the church towers
even the city centre
you hardly ever visited
cannot be flaunted
on your windowsill
In your new house
you will always
remain a little
far from home
© Aukje-Tjitske Dieleman
translation: Trevor Scarse