Ever since Ice Road Truckers star Darrell Ward died in a planecrash at the early age of 52 - the first casualty among their core cast of daredevils - it's been a bit difficult to keep up our enthusiasm for the TV reality series.
This morning, however, I received the exciting news that expatriate Kiwi poet Charles Olsen had completed his translation of my poem "Ice Road Trucker" into Spanish, and posted it on his "Palabras Prestadas" website.
I have to say that I'm quite thrilled to see my words transformed into another language (especially one I can read) - just as I was when Dieter Riemenschneider included a couple of my poems in his 2010 bilingual German-English anthology Wildes Licht: Gedichte aus Aotearoa Neuseeland [Wild Light: Poems from Aotearoa New Zealand].
So far as I can judge, Charles has done a bang-up job. I do wonder, though, if I can repurpose his work here as some kind of witness to the immense pleasure I've got out of watching this series over the years? In particular, as a tribute to Darrell Ward himself, who strikes me as the most man of anyone I've ever seen.
That time when he managed to drag another truck out of the ditch single-handedly, by driving them both at the same time (I know that doesn't sound physically possible, but he did somehow accomplish it) had to be seen to be believed.
Anyway, here's the poem, in translation (you can read the original English version here, if you like). And what better date to have it appear online than the Cinco de Mayo?
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mairangibay.blogspot.co.nz
New Zealand Book Council – Jack Ross
Camionero sobre hielo
El motor se detuvo
a medio bajada por la rampa de salida
justo cuando cambió el semáforo a verde
para con cuidado en el arcén
y enciende
la luces de emergencia
decía Bronwyn
fuimos a buscar ayuda
me dejó en la estación de servicio
cuando llegué al coche
había un policía
un autobús había golpeado un vehículo utilitario
calle abajo
Necesitaba esto como un tiro en la cabeza
decía
el de la grúa era un viejo fibroso
que levantó el coche
sin esfuerzo
mientras dábamos saltos
en la cabina de su camión
pensé
ya sé qué se siente
al conducir un gran camión
sobre los campos de hielo
mi álter ego
radio frequencia en mano
abierta la botella de Jim Beam
entre las piernas
el horizonte gris de peltre
(Traducción del poema Ice Road Trucker de Jack Ross – traducido por Charles Olsen)
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[19th August 2017]:
As part of his 'Poems on the Terrace' series of commentaries on New Zealand poems in Spanish, Charles Olsen posted the following video of "Ice Road Trucker" [Camionero sobre hielo].
Poem on the Terrace – Ice Road Trucker de Jack Ross
'Poem on the Terrace – poetas neozelandeses'. Una serie para dar a conocer la poesía de las antípodas de España. Los neozelandeses, Charles Olsen y Anna Borrie, recitan y comentan un poema en una agradable terraza de Madrid.
En este capítulo leen 'Camionero sobre hielo' de Jack Ross. Pueden leer más sobre el autor, y leer el poema en castellano, en Palabras Prestadas.
We present 'Poem on the Terrace – New Zealand Poets', where we introduce kiwi poets to a Spanish audience. Charles Olsen and Anna Borrie recite and discuss a poem on a relaxed Madrid roof terrace.
In this chapter they read 'Ice Road Trucker' by Jack Ross. Find out more about the author on New Zealand Book Council.
Charles Olsen & Lilián Pallares
