Faroese poet Roy Paterson discusses tradition in poetry

Grants | NHPRC | Topics | Arts & Culture | Special Collections | Minnesota Books and Authors | Types | Interviews | Legacy Project Remote Work (2020-2021) | Poems, Poets, and Poetry | Reading |
March 10, 1994
Tom Meersman - Reporter, Roy Paterson - Interviewee and Reader
Listen: Faroese Poet
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MPR’s Tom Meersman talks with Faroese poet Roy Paterson, who discusses the Faroe Islands and of keeping tradition of culture. Paterson reads a poem in both English and in Faroese.

Transcript:

(00:00:00) A great deal of my poetry is a communication. I would say with the faroese traditional literature and the faroese cultural tradition. I am I think one of the more critical I am not a traditionalist, but but I am all the time communicating with the tradition and the traditional literature in the Pharaohs. It's a very Kind of poetry for example which Praises nature its beauty and so on many of these these things I have taken up in my poetry. But I have a maybe you could say another stance to these things
(00:00:49) you brought along a sample of your poetry here.
(00:00:53) Oh, yeah. This is a little poem. It's more about the poetic language. My poetic language
(00:01:03) I can
(00:01:04) read it first in English and sure then in faroese, sir, okay.
(00:01:12) Words,
(00:01:14) some words are dark and leave at them track. Some are bright and throw no Shadow. I that vanishes in nowhere love that drowns in the tight you that alters on the way? Those words that went seeking new lands turned in flight and came back like Hawks with strong talents and strangers eyes. I own no word and so it must be.
(00:02:01) And now in fairies or
(00:02:07) look at already Mishka settle into sport so merely also custom can scoop are takfir return like a non HD streaming. Toyota has some light over 220 Sarah flow new call me after some fuck larvas - come closer move from montenegrin. AI or your soul is Cal tell Vera
(00:02:44) that's poet Roy Patterson a native of the Faroe Islands reading from some of his poetry you must be flattered pleased that you've been asked to come to Minnesota to present your poetry to Young students and others
(00:02:57) interested. It has been a really great experience for me and really to talk with these young people and hear them disgust me. Poems and and in this way many ways, of course all this is quite new society and an unknown world to me in one way, but on the other hand these same young people they are so much alike. The young people I know from from toll so
(00:03:28) I'm just curious I would imagine there are a lot of listeners who probably have only seen pictures or photos of the Faroe Islands is the climate similar. Minnesota is it is a rugged terrain that kind of thing.
(00:03:43) The terrain is Barren. There are no trees for example, but the islands are very green. It's green grass. They are very steep. It's a very it's a tiny Community with all the things a modern society has today. I would say both problems and and all this for example now for the last Two years there have been very big problems with with the whole industrial situation because of overfishing and over Investments and in modern fishing vessels things that we know from other parts of the world. and unemployment rates are rising up to 20 25 percent. So it is a very serious situation many young people are leaving the islands for Norway and Denmark and much of this is a very sad story but on the other hand, I do believe that there is much what you would call a cultural and political resilience. In in the faroes community. So I think that which I'll make it
(00:05:12) do you ever worry that the culture might be
(00:05:15) lost? That is a possible. That's always a possibility in such a small Society. We're only 40 50 thousand Souls that know this language and we are all the time very conscious about that. We have a culture a language. Addition to preserve and and it can be very difficult to because at the same time you have it's necessary to be destructive for for maybe a very strong word to use because you cannot only just sit down and preserve you have to create and so so that is all the time this ongoing discussion. What is right and what is wrong how traditional? No, must we be can we be
(00:06:09) what's it like for a poet? Are there a lot of poets a lot of songwriters water musicians on the road a
(00:06:14) lot of musicians lot of poets lot of songwriters. It's a very living cultural life on the Faroe Islands. And that again has I think something to do with this is that it is necessary to be to know who you are where you are. So you have to write songs in your own language.


Transcripts

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ROB PATTERSON: A great deal of my poetry is a communication, I would say, with the Faroese traditional literature and the Faroese cultural tradition. I think one of the more critical-- I am not a traditionalist, but I am all the time communicating with the tradition.

And the traditional literature in the Faroes is a very kind of poetry, for example, which praises nature, its beauty and so on. And many of these things I have taken up in my poetry, but I have maybe you could say another stance to these things.

SPEAKER 2: You brought along a sample of your poetry here.

ROB PATTERSON: Oh, yeah, this is a little poem. It's more about the poetic language, my poetic language. I can read it first in English and then in Faroese.

SPEAKER 2: Sure.

ROB PATTERSON: OK. "Words."

"Some words are dark and leave a dim track,

Some are bright and throw no shadow.

I that vanishes in nowhere.

Love that drowns in the tide.

You that alters on the way.

Those words that went seeking new lands turned in flight and came back like hawks with strong talents and stranger's eyes.

I own no word,

And so it must be.

SPEAKER 2: And now in Faroese?

[SPEAKING FAROESE]

ROB PATTERSON: That's poet Roy Patterson, a native of the Faroe islands, reading from some of his poetry. You must be flattered, pleased that you've been asked to come to Minnesota to present your poetry to young students and others interested.

ROB PATTERSON: It has been really a great experience for me and really to talk with these young people and hear them discuss my poems in many ways, Of course, all this is a quite new society and an unknown world to me in one way. But on the other hand, these same young people, they are so much alike the young people I know from Towson.

SPEAKER 2: I'm just curious. I would imagine there are a lot of listeners who probably have only seen pictures or photos of the Faroe Islands. Is the climate similar to Minnesota? Is there rugged terrain, that kind of thing?

ROB PATTERSON: The terrain is barren. There are no trees, for example. But the islands are very green. It's green grass. They are very steep. It's a tiny community with all the things a modern society has today, I would say, both problems and all this.

For example, now for the last two years, there have been very big problems with the whole industrial situation because of overfishing and over investments in modern fishing vessels, things that we know from other parts of the world. And unemployment rates are rising up to 20% 25%.

So it is a very serious situation. Many young people are leaving the islands, leaving for Norway and Denmark. And much of this is a very sad story. But on the other hand, I do believe that there is much what you could call a cultural and political resilience in the Faroese community. So I think that we shall make it.

SPEAKER 2: Do you ever worry that the culture might be lost?

ROB PATTERSON: That is a possibility. That's always a possibility in such a small society. We are only 40,000, 50,000 souls that know this language. And we are all the time very conscious about that. We have a culture, a language, a tradition to preserve. And it can be very difficult because, at the same time, you have-- it's necessary to be destructive.

Maybe a very strong word to use because you cannot only just sit down and preserve. You have to create. And so there is all the time, this ongoing discussion. What is right and what is wrong? How traditional must we be, can we be?

SPEAKER 2: What's it like for a poet? Are there a lot of poets, a lot of songwriters, a lot of musicians on the island?

ROB PATTERSON: There are a lot of musicians, a lot of poets, a lot of songwriters. It's a very living cultural life on the Faroe Islands. And that, again, has, I think, something to do with this that it is necessary to know who you are, where you are. So you have to write songs in your own language.

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