Asturian has some
beautiful pallabres
words: perguapes:
fesoria, llambiotada, migayes …
Don’t say
in Spanish
that the stars brillen,
that birds vuelen,
that you want to go de marcha;
the stars rescamplen,
birds esnalen
and you’re off out de folixa,
or a correla
if you like.
If your stomach’s rumbling,
don’t eat bogavante,
almejes
or rape,
dine on bugre,
amasueles
or pixín,
you know how it is.
‘If you’re going outside, garra your zamarra!’
your nan’ll shout, always fretting
over cold and frost.
Go to a chigre,
drink sidra,
freshly poured,
or a fervinchu
if you’re feeling off.
Argue with football fans,
Sporting or Uviéu,
doesn’t matter which,
there’s nothing can’t be sorted
over a few cachaes
and a game of tute.
Don’t run, go at tou meter
Don’t jump, blinca
take the easy route pelo segao
eat a bollu
at your xira
celebrate the amagüestu
or dance the xiringüelu…
But, above all, be at home in your llingua,
feel it,
immerse yourself
in it
but, above all, speak it,
but, above all, fálala.
by Claudia Elena Menéndez Fernández
Translated by Robin Munby
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Claudia Elena Ménedez Fernández is Associate Professor in Classical and Romance Studies at the
University of Oviedo. She is co-director of the literary journal Formientu, and is currently vice-president of Iniciativa pol Asturianu, an organisation that fights for the linguistic rights of Asturians and the status of the Asturian language.
Robin Munby is a literary translator from Liverpool, based in Madrid. His translations have appeared in publications including Wasafiri Magazine, Apofenie, Exchanges, World Literature Today and The Glasgow Review of Books. He works from Spanish, Russian and, more recently, Asturian into English.