Irish-Italian translation by Ciara Fennessy

IRISH

‘Ceist na Teangan’

Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill

ITALIAN

‘La questione della lingua’

translated by Ciara Fennessy

Nuala Ní Domhnaill’s poem explores the unknown journeys that languages take. Her hope for Irish is that it will be saved like Moses, but its path there is an ellipsis, an

Cuirim mo dhóchas ar snámh i mbáidín teangan faoi mar a leagfá naíonán i gcliabhán a bheadh fite fuaite de dhuilleoga feileastraim is bitiúmin agus pic bheith cuimilte lena thóin ansan é a leagadh síos i measc na ngiolcach is coigeal na mban sí le taobh na habhann, féachaint n’fheadaraís cá dtabharfaidh an sruth é, féachaint, dála Mhaoise, an bhfóirfidh iníon Fharoinn? unknown. Does her poem being translated into foreign languages directly from the Irish represent it being found?

Metto la mia speranza a navigare in una piccola barca della lingua come metteresti un infante in una culla di foglie di iris intrecciate, il fondo ricoperto con bitume e pece poi appoggiato fra le canne e il giunco sulla sponda del fiume non sapendo dove la corrente la porterà, magari, come Mosè, dalla figlia di un Faraone?