“North is not final”
North is not final
a raja
a border
carved in Tornedalen rules
and across the border we forget
did you come here before or after kings
put pencils to the map?
Translated from the Norwegian and the Kven
Notes:
Read the original poem in in a combination of Norwegian and Kven, “Nord er ikke håndfast,” as well as the translator’s note by Eirill Alvilde Falck.
Source: Poetry (July/August 2024)