‘Horizons’

Around me the mountains
- so cold, so dim -
have inhaled the darkness
although the sky is still lit by day.
They tower sheer out of the sea
like cliffs of blue black iron.
Their paths
are not the paths of summer.

Flocks in the valleys
and pure springs
the track of generations
up beloved slopes
are around me too,
have breathed in the sunshine.
Their paths
are the paths of summer.

By Hannes Pétursson, translated by Bernard Scudder.

Iceland Review magazine went to North Iceland, to document the annual sheep roundup for the upcoming issue, just after a blizzard hit that part of the country three weeks ago.

Still, three weeks later, farmers and rescue teams, are finding sheep which have been trapped under snow for more than 20 days.

In good condition. Amazing.

But they are fashionably dressed in wool. Well adapted to the harsh conditions on the rock we call Iceland.

Yes, the winter came early, and without warning.

And there will be a cold and long winter in politics in the Republic.

The parliamentary election is in April. Will our first ever left-wing government survive?

Last week, PM Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir announced that she will step down as a chairman of the Social Democratic Alliance after the end of this term and not run in the next elections.

There is no obvious candidate for leading the party. It will be a fight.

The same thing will happen in all parties. The Left-Greens are now like two parties: Pro or completely against the European Union talks.

The Independent Party is still suffering from the financial meltdown four years ago. And the European question can prove difficult for the party.

About one third of their members are pro EU, but their leading parliamentarians are taking a hard stand against it. Not good.

And the last of the four big parties, the Progressive Party, has a chairman who is a coward.

It will be a stormy political winter.

It’s too early to predict who the winner of the 2013 election will be.

Here is a little Icelandic history lesson by Steinn Steinarr, translated by Bernhard Scudder.

‘History for Beginners’

Beneath a wayfarer’s foot
a stone rolled on it’s way.
And the stone went on rolling,
Didn’t you know?

And seven thousand years later
came Sing Sing Ho.
And Sing Sing Ho took a wife,
but his wife died though.

And seven thousand years later
came Ghagga Ghow.
Of Gahagga Ghow there’s no record
anywhere now.

And seven thousand years later
came you, came you.

Páll Stefánsson – ps@icelandreview.com

P.S. The poems are from Icelandic Poetry with translations by Bernhard Scudder, published by Saga Forlag. A great book for everyone interested in Icelandic culture.