One of the doors in our apartment is covered with images and quotes that we’ve found in various places over the years, such as in magazines, on the internet, on tea bag tags, bookmarks, postcards etc. It makes us smile and brings back good memories. There is also a second reason for doing this – quite frankly the door needs re-painting, so it’s a way of covering the peeling paint and scratches.
A couple of days ago we had some friends round, and one of them asked if I had written a poem that we have on the door. I was very flattered, because it’s a beautiful poem, full of gorgeous imagery, and I wish I had written it! It did, however, start me thinking about poetry and how good it can be for learning English.
Firstly, if you like reading poetry, you can simply do that. Try not to translate every word you don’t understand and see if you can get the meaning from the context first. Then write down your thoughts about that poem and what you think it’s about. It’s also interesting to do some internet research after that to see what the author or other people say about it.
If you like a specific poem, you could also have a go at translating it. As an example, let’s take a look at the first stanza of a poem by Rosemonde Gérard Rostand called ‘Le Dernier Papillon’. Here’s the original French first:
Le dernier papillon
Rosemonde Gérard Rostand
Quand ne chante plus le grillon
Et qu'on est avant dans l'automne,
Quelque matin gris l'on s'étonne
De voir un dernier papillon…
If you’re not used to translating, first try to translate it simply and not worry about rhyming or the lines scanning:
The Last Butterfly
When the cricket doesn’t sing anymore
And Autumn is arriving,
One grey morning we’re surprised
To see a last butterfly...
Now try to make it less literal and more natural-sounding in English:
When the cricket sings no more
And Autumn is on its way
On a dark morning I’m surprised
To see the last butterfly...
Final challenge – make it rhyme! It’s absolutely OK if it’s no longer a literal translation – the sense of what the poem is saying is what’s important. For example:
When the cricket sings no more
And Autumn opens its door
A surprise! In the grey I saw
A butterfly’s final tour...
(Please note: This is British English rhyming)
It does not have to be perfect – my attempt certainly isn’t! The main thing is to get you using and thinking about your English language knowledge in a creative way.
As a final stage, you can even write your own poetry on a similar theme…or just write your own poetry full stop!
If your English teacher has time, or you know someone whose first language is English, an added bonus would be to ask them what they think.
Have fun with it! And of course I would love to see what you do. You can comment below, or write me an email via my contact page.
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