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Transient Thoughts

Wednesday, December 03, 2003

Here's the poem 'The Catcher in The Rye' gets its name from.
Both the original by the Scottish poet Robert Burns and the translated English are cut and paste here from the net.

I like the rhyme and rhythm especially the last two stanzas.

In the "Catcher in the Rye" the narrator hears a kid sing, "when a body catch some body coming through the rye".

Original:

Coming thro' the rye, poor body,
Coming thro' the rye,
She draiglet a' her petticoatie
Coming thro' the rye.

O, Jenny's a' wat, poor body;
Jenny's seldom dry;
She draiglet a' her petticoatie
Coming thro' the rye.

Gin a body meet a body
Coming thro' the rye,
Gin a body kiss a body--
Need a body cry?

Gin a body meet a body
Coming thro' the glen,
Gin a body kiss a body--
Need the warld ken?


Approximate Translation:


Coming through the rye, poor girl,
Coming through the rye,
She always drags her petticoat
Coming through the rye.

Oh, Jenny's always wet, poor girl,
Jenny's seldom dry;
She always drags her petticoat
Coming through the rye.

Can a person meet a person
Coming through the rye,
Can a person kiss a person -
Need that person cry.

Can a person meet a person
Coming through the glen,
Can a person kiss a person -
Without everyone knowing?

1 Comments:

Blogger Amitashuri said...

Last 2 verses:
Can anybody meet anybody else
coming through the rye
Can anybody kiss anybody else
Need/Must anyone cry?

Can anybody meet anybody else
coming through the glen
Can anybody kiss anybody else -
Need/Must the world (ie everyone else) know?

Pretty good approximation (from one with a Scots tongue)

Wed Mar 25, 07:29:00 AM GMT+5:30  

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