William Soutar Ballad Translation

This is my modern English translation/modernization of a William Soutar ballad.

WILLIAM SOUTAR TRANSLATION

The Herring Net by Winslow Homer (1883)

Ballad
by William Soutar
translation/modernization by Michael R. Burch

O, surely you have seen my love
Down where the waters wind―
He walks like one who fears no man
And yet his eyes are kind!

O, surely you have seen my love
At the turning of the tide―
For then he gathers in his nets
Down by the waterside!

Yes, lassie we have seen your love
At the turning of the tide―
For he was with the fisher folk
Down by the waterside.

The fisher folk worked at their trade
No far from Walnut Grove―
They gathered in their dripping nets
And found your one true love!

Reviews

[John the Baptist]

The first two verses reflect the young woman's concern for her lover, who is apparently a fisherman who is missing. We can almost feel the growing panic in her voice. The last two verses relate the tragic outcome of the story, her "one true love" having been recovered after drowning. Not sure how it might have sounded in its original form, but the translator has given us a spare but powerful offering that describes an event that was probably not uncommon among those who took their living from the sea in previous times.

[Michael R. Burch]

The original poem was written in a Scots dialect that can be understood by most readers today. I made it a bit more accessible, hopefully. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment.