Wednesday, May 21, 2008

"Archeological" find on my desk

I was digging through old papers and found some paragraphs I had written the first year we moved to this house, now 4 years ago. It is in Swedish, I could never write this well in English, so the translation isn't the same thing. I thought it really describes the area here, so different from where I grew up in Sweden, and still similar.

"I USAs mest tätbefolkade stat, bortom motorvägar och flygplatser, finns ett skogsklätt berg. Det är egentligen ingen märkvärdigt berg, bara drygt 300 m över havsytan, men det sträcker ut sig över några mil mot Delaware-floden. Sourland Mountain, det näringsfattiga berget, reser sig från de bördiga åkrarna runt omkring. Överdådig intensiv lövskog klär nu berget och under vårnätterna kväker de små bruna lövgrodorna livligt. Grackle-fåglarna med sina metalliskt skimrande huvuden på sned väntar ivrigt vid fågelbordet. När de flyger vrider de den breda stjärten som ett vindroder genom luften, styr ömsom hit, ömsom dit. Ovan dom i den blå skyn hänger kalkongamarna i osynliga trådar från himmelen, med majestätiskt stela vingar spanar de efter skrovmål."

Simple translation:
"In the most densely populated state of the US, away from highways and airports, there is a forested mountain. It really isn't a very special mountain, only about 900 feet above the sea, but it stretches itself out for a dozen miles towards the Delaware River. Sourland Mountain, the nutrient poor mountain, rises up from the fertile farmland around it. Amazing intensive deciduous forest now cloaks the mountain and during the spring nights the small brown leaf frogs are quaking lively. The grackles with their metallic shimmering and tilted heads are eagerly waiting at the bird feeder. When they fly they turn the broad tail like a wind rudder through the air, first this way, then the other. Above the, in the blue sky the turkey vultures hang like in unseen strands from heaven; with royally stiff wings they search for the big feast."

That is really how it is here, New Jersey nature at its best.

1 comment:

EH said...

I love your lyrical swedish, and think it´s true. It´s amazing that Sourland mountain exist in this way, with New Jerseys dense population. The mountain is fantastic, and about a year ago I walked in the very same forest on soft paths in greenfoilated shadow. Somebody tripped into a creek, LA, do you remember? Can I come on sunday for a walk?