Iceland Among Us

PROGRAM COORDINATOR: HÉCTOR CONTRERAS LÓPEZ

ICELAND AMONG US is a program created by HÉCTOR CONTRERAS LÓPEZ  with the goal to translate into Spanish and read Icelandic poetry in Chihuahua city schools. The first stages of the program started in August 2016. 

First Héctor made a selection of stanzas from “The High One’s Sayings” (from The Poetic Edda) to be translated from English into Spanish by two groups of students (Ninth semester, Translation class, A and B) directed by Professor Erbey Mendoza, Department of Philosophy and Literature, English language major, Autonomous University of Chihuahua. The translation was completed at the end of the fall semester, 2016.

During December and early January 2017, Héctor revised and edited the translation and handed it over to the teachers of the Gonzalo A. Reyes Elementary School, in Chihuahua City. Through the spring semester 2017, teachers and kids of all 6 grades (12 groups) practiced the reading of selected stanzas. The teachers made the selection and also decided if the poems were going to be read or learned by heart by the kids.

Between May 23 and June 8, Héctor visited the Gonzalo A. Reyes Elementary School and made videos of the 12 groups reading or telling by heart the assigned stanzas from “The High One’s Sayings.” During these three weeks, he also took many photos of teachers and kids, gave a talk to 4th and 5th graders entitled “Where is Poetry?” and basically had a good time with everyone at the school

Below are the translations of stanzas 1-5 and 10

1

Debes voltear a todos lados antes

de cruzar el umbral de un salón:

nunca sabes qué ocultos enemigos

acechan a lo largo de la pared.

2

La gracia está en el dar. El huésped

ha llegado pero, ¿dónde podemos

ubicarlo? Ansioso aquél que se sienta

ante la chimenea para probar su valor.

3

Lo primero que un vagabundo quiere,

si está congelado hasta las rodillas,

es una fogata. Ropa seca y comida son

ineludibles para quien ha cruzado las montañas.

4

El agua es una prioridad para quien ha llegado

por comida, así como una toalla y una cálida

bienvenida. Gentileza, si la obtiene,

conversación y silencio en igual medida.

5

Cualquier vagabundo que deambula a lo largo y a lo

ancho debe tener entendimiento. Un tonto puede destacar

en su casa, pero en otras tierras uno debe ser más listo.

El necio será ridiculizado si se sienta al lado del sabio.

10

No hay mejor bien para llevar a cuestas

en el camino que una afilada sabiduría.

En tierras extrañas es mejor que las riquezas.

Las riquezas  materiales son las mercancías más pobres.