I Love July
Reflective piece for the last day of the year!
i love you july
the heat of the sun
lifting our spirits,
enlightening our lives.
The meadows are full of colors.
The problem is, dear July, that we live in Scotland.
The land where summer is a promise never often kept.
Tha gaol agam ort, Iuchar,
teas na grèine
a' togail ar n-inntinnean,
a' soillseachadh ar beatha.
Tha na cluaintean làn dathanna.
Is e an duilgheadas, a ghràidh Iuchar, gu bheil sinn a’ fuireach ann an Alba.
An tìr anns am bheil an samhradh 'na ghealladh nach tric a chumas e.
But as December draws to a close,
you seem so far away,
so far in the distance,
July
The summer's heat is but a distant memory
my skin barely remembers,
memorialised in the wind and ether.
Ach mar a thig an Dùbhlachd gu crìch,
tha thu cho fada air falbh,
cho fada air falbh,
An t-Iuchar
Chan eil ann an teas an t-samhraidh ach cuimhne fad às
'S gann a chuimhnicheas mo chraiceann,
air a chuimhneachadh anns a' ghaoith agus an eitear.
We are but always hurtling, constantly moving cyclically
towards the furthest point from the polar opposites of winter summer
As I lay my head down to rest this eve
as the turning of the clock brings forth
the beginning of another three-six-five-twelve-fifty-two
I look with optimism and humility at the journey to you
July
Tha sinn an-còmhnaidh air ar goirteachadh, an-còmhnaidh a’ gluasad gu cearcallach
a dh'ionnsaigh a' phuing as fhaide air falbh bho na h-aghaidhean bàna ann an samhradh geamhraidh
Mar a leagas mi mo cheann sios gus fois a ghabhail air an oidhche so
mar a bheir tionndadh an uaireadair a mach
toiseach trì-sia-còig-deug-fichead-dà-fhichead
Bidh mi a’ coimhead le dòchas agus irioslachd air an turas thugad
An t-Iuchar
*
Thanks for reading!
Author's Notes: So, wasn't going to post anything else, as I've been trying to strip back, but found this and after some tweaking, felt it was appropriate on this the last day of the year. As an interesting aside, it was originally meant for "Truly July: A Mikeydred July Dollar Prompt For All Vocal Creators" but I never got round to it.
Oh and I realise it is January now. I had some major issues trying to get this one published. For some reason, the English/Scottish Gaelic kept on getting knocked back to Drafts. So... I thought about it and published it just English then edited it afterwards to include the Scottish Gaelic. To be clear, the Scottish Gaelic is a direct, though, rough translation of the English. I am no expert in the slightest but felt it added a bit of home to it and it looks pretty and even the poorest attempt at pronunciations are always pretty.
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About the Creator
Paul Stewart
Award-Winning Writer, Poet, Scottish-Italian, Subversive.
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Comments (13)
Reading poems about months is funny when you're an Australian😂 But this was so beautiful! I love it when months are romanticised.
Initially I thought maybe this was Scottish but then it looked altogether new to me! Thanks for explaining…also rebel as always (editing it back in after) haha. You are very welcome to have some of our summer. I’ve been looking forward to winter even before summer started here in Dec. 😅
A perfect Christmas (or New year's) in July reversal piece! The Scottish Gaelic lines were a wonderful touch, and my poor French was of no help at all on this one, but I enjoyed it all the same!
Those phrases in Gaelic somehow manage to conjure windswept hills in my mind, maybe even a distant sound of bagpipes (bagpipes sound best when they are distant after all). I wonder what this language would do to my brain if I had the slightest idea of how to pronounce it.
Love your line about summer being a promise that’s never kept! This was lovely. Always look forward to the heat! Happy new year!
A lovely bit of poetry, Paul. The Scottish/Gaelic is a nice touch, it lends gravitas to the piece in the sense of the history of the place as well as the evolution of the language.
Ohhh, Scottish Gaelic. I was wondering what language that is hehehehe. Loved your poem!
July is my birth month, and I liked this poem very much. Loved reading the Scottish words for I only have known a very few. Good job.
We need this in the winter months. Something to look forward to even if it's at the far distance of 7 months.
I’ve got to admit that at first, I thought my eyes were going funny, but I really like that you’ve alternated between languages. I’m looking forward to July because it’s our winter! Great work Paul, as always.
For what I understood of this, it was really beautiful and I appreciate the sentiment!! I love the snow and cold but caught myself day dream of the summer months... perhaps it's more about the freedom to write though, less the heat?? 😅
Me, reading the gaelic out loud, even I had no bloody idea what I was saying. Well done, buddy. Happy new year.
This is glorious and the switching of languages adds such a melodic effect.