Excerpts from Steinbjørn B. Jacobsen’s collection, Lív (1981) Ten summers you were with us Tíggju summør var tú hjá okkum were a part of us var ein partur av okkum lent us your eyes lænti okkum tíni eygu Lit up our lives Birti lív í shared your precious mind gav av tínum ríka sinni A vibrant spring that flowed Ein lívsfrísk kelda ið rann A delicate fate was woven Ein vøkur lagna varð vovin We remain here Eftir standa vit with our hands full of dreams við hondunum fullum av dreymum But we are not crying for them Tað er ikki teir vit gráta um A spring has evaporated Ein kelda er tornað A pattern has ended Eitt mynstur er vovið Incomplete or maybe Hálvliðugt ella kanska We just don’t understand it Vit skilja tað ikki But the memories live on Men minnini liva

*** Right there Beint har close to where you lost your young life í nánd tú lætt títt unga lív at the height of summer in the fairest weather Á hásumri í besta veðri á vegnum Your great-great grandfather stood Har stóð oldurabbi tín February 15, 1915 15. februar 1915 and watched both of his sons drown og sá báðar synir sínar drukna in a storm along with 12 others í óveðri saman við 12 øðrum I myself walked down this road Sjálvur gekk eg á vegnum the day after the tragedy dagin eftir and looked at the skid marks Hugdi at bilsporum ploughed into the asphalt ið vóru pløgd niður í asfaltið The shimmering shoreline murmured softly Lógvin lá har blonk og kvirraði behind the graveyard aftan fyri kirkjugarðin of our ancestors Har inni lógu forfedrarnir They had all experienced loss Øll høvdu tey mist Though not at the hands of men Tó ikki av manna ávum Nature had taken from them Náttúran hevði tikið frá teimum Maybe it’s easier when nature claims a life Kanska tað er betri tá náttúran tekur What can be said or done about the ocean Hvat sigst og gerst við havið

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By graves like yours Við gravir sum tína the concept of an angel má hugtakið eingil must have been born vera føtt An innocent soul like yours Ein barnasál sum tín A pristine lake Eitt reint vatn and its reflection við spegilsmyndini A fresh morning sky Ein barnsligur himmal Nary a cloud Einki døkt A childlike summer sun Ein barnslig summarsól Ever radiant Aldri sløkt So long as we remain here Meðan vit standa eftir

*** So still and calm in sleep So still og kvirr í svøvni A tranquil repose Ein hvíld og ein friður about your face um alt andlitið Many a time I had to come closer Mangan mátti ein koma nærri and bend down Toyggja seg niður til tín To feel your breath Kenna tín anda Check that you were still with us Vita um tú var her hjá okkum

*** 8-7-80 early in the morning 8.7.80 tíðliga um morgunin We were going to guide some tourists Vit skuldu við ferðafólki to Kirkjubø til Kirkjubøar I wrote the date on a piece of paper Dagfesti eg hesi tøl á blað A beautiful row of numbers Eitt vakurt talrað But that number seven Men hetta sjeytalið I didn’t normally dwell on such things Eg plagdi ikki at hugsa um slíkt Somehow it kept bothering me Tó kendi eg tað so løgið

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People grew weary from hiking Fólk møddust av gonguni They walked in small groups Gingu í smáum bólkum The weather was clear and the trail firm Veðrið var klárt og gøtan góð But I felt a dull fatigue Kendi tó eina dølska møði When I walked into the courtyard I saw Komin í túnið sá eg a black bicycle I didn’t recognize eina svarta fremmanda súkklu Someone was waiting for me Onkur bíðaði eftir mær Had something to tell me Vildi mær eitt hvørt It was the priest Tað var prestur There has been a terrible accident Ein stór ólukka er hend

*** Time and time again Aftur og aftur the sun will rise skal sólin rísa Countless eyes Eitt ótal av eygum will greet her Skulu møta henni But two eyes are missing Men tvey eygu vanta Two eyes Tvey eygu she can’t see sær hon ikki                                        

Translated from the Faroese by Randi Ward