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Poems from the Edge of Extinction: An Anthology of Poetry in Endangered Languages
The Beautiful New Treasury of Poetry in Endangered Languages, in Association with the National Poetry LibraryFeaturing award-winning poets from cultures as diverse as the Ainu people of Japan to the Zoque of Mexico, with languages that range from the indigenous Ahtna of Alaska to the Shetlandic dialect of Scots, this evocative collection gathers together 50 of the finest poems in endangered, or vulnerable, languages from across the continents. With poems by influential, award-winning poets such as US poet laureate Joy Harjo, Hawad, Valzhyna Mort, and Jackie Kay, this collection offers a unique insight into both languages and poetry, taking the reader on an emotional, life-affirming journey into the cultures of these beautiful languages, celebrating our linguistic diversity and highlighting our commonalities and the fundamental role verbal art plays in human life. Each poem appears in its original form, alongside an English translation, and is accompanied by a commentary about the language, the poet and the poem - in a vibrant celebration of life, diversity, language, and the enduring power of poetry. One language is falling silent every two weeks. Half of the 7,000 languages spoken in the world today will be lost by the end of this century. With the loss of these languages, we also lose the unique poetic traditions of their speakers and writers. This timely anthology is passionately edited by widely published poet and UK National Poetry Librarian, Chris McCabe, who is also the founder of the Endangered Poetry Project, a major project launched by London's Southbank Centre to collect poetry written in the world's disappearing languages, and introduced by Dr Mandana Seyfeddinipur, Director of the Endangered Languages Documentation Programme and the Endangered Languages Archive at SOAS University of London, and Dr Martin Orwin, Senior Lecturer in Somali and Amharic, SOAS University of London. Languages included in the Assyrian; Belarusian; Chimiini; Irish Gaelic; Maori; Navajo; Patua; Rotuman; Saami; Scottish Gaelic; Welsh; Yiddish; Zoque Poets included in the Joy Harjo; Hawad; Jackie Kay; Aurélia Lassaque; Nineb Lamassu; Gearóid Mac Lochlainn; Valzhyna Mort; Laura Tohe; Taniel Varoujan; Avrom Sutzkever
333 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 5, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
July 12, 2020
3.5 like many collection, some good and some less so but i love the concept and I'm pleased to have it in my collection
January 24, 2022
I'm really enjoying reading this anthology. while the poetry is at its heart, it gives equal attention to the languages, making it different from many anthologies.
the poems are arranged roughly by continent/country grouping. following each poem there is a piece by the editor about the language, the author, the translators (and translation process sometimes), and the poem itself, which gives some nice context.
the poems themselves are presented in both their original language and English on facing pages. it's great to be able to read both alongside each other, and get a fuller sense of shape and rhythm than a translation alone would give. I prefer this format when reading poetry in languages I don't speak/read, and think it allows for a better relationship/reading. and it seems that each poem was chosen/submitted because it in some way touches on the language and culture from which it originates, and the authors relationship with both.
I think it's a really good execution of a really good idea :)
there's a few really interesting and useful introductions at the start of the book too - a little about the project of making the book, the status of endangered languages, and the place of poetry in history and human societies globally. in this latter introduction, there's some really interesting information about the different forms and purposes poetry takes in different societies, and a reminder of how much an oral, and sometimes performance, tradition it is in many.
I'm really enjoying the poems too! that almost seems an afterthought, but it's central too.
I'm liking all the layers this anthology works on :)
whilst really rich, it is only a very brief introduction - to poetry, to the poets, to the languages - and gives alot of potential points to start reading/exploring more from. 💖
the poems are arranged roughly by continent/country grouping. following each poem there is a piece by the editor about the language, the author, the translators (and translation process sometimes), and the poem itself, which gives some nice context.
the poems themselves are presented in both their original language and English on facing pages. it's great to be able to read both alongside each other, and get a fuller sense of shape and rhythm than a translation alone would give. I prefer this format when reading poetry in languages I don't speak/read, and think it allows for a better relationship/reading. and it seems that each poem was chosen/submitted because it in some way touches on the language and culture from which it originates, and the authors relationship with both.
I think it's a really good execution of a really good idea :)
there's a few really interesting and useful introductions at the start of the book too - a little about the project of making the book, the status of endangered languages, and the place of poetry in history and human societies globally. in this latter introduction, there's some really interesting information about the different forms and purposes poetry takes in different societies, and a reminder of how much an oral, and sometimes performance, tradition it is in many.
I'm really enjoying the poems too! that almost seems an afterthought, but it's central too.
I'm liking all the layers this anthology works on :)
whilst really rich, it is only a very brief introduction - to poetry, to the poets, to the languages - and gives alot of potential points to start reading/exploring more from. 💖
February 28, 2022
An intriguing collection of poems. We are used to endangered species, not languages. This volume pulls together dying languages in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, Middle east and Oceania. One of the most moving poems is in Belarusian, a language that Russian has almost annihilated. Belarusian speaking children are denied education. Politics is inseparable from many of the poems and this becomes both a strength and a weakness. Welsh is included, rightly so, but the poem included is chosen for its obvious political message rather than its poetical qualities. There are many better Welsh poems. Regrettably, the poetry gets lost on many occasions in Poems from the Edge of Extinction and the editors are content to get bogged down in linguistic details. This weakens the impact of a crucial book.
December 26, 2019
The perfect gift for me and potentially the inspiration I required to start writing poetry in Wiradjuri.
January 6, 2021
This was an utterly fascinating read. In the day and age of ultra connectedness and a seemingly smaller world, it was such a delight to immerse oneself in how truely diverse and unique humans are and the immense loss we could possibly have with the continued growth of standardised society.
Each poem (apart from some that were only recorded as oral) is published in this book both in it's original language and in English translation with a page or two following describing the language, it's origin, it's culture, it's people as well as the author of the poem and some of their experiences. Divided into continents it was honestly just a truely riveting study of how words and communication is just so universal.
Excellent.
Each poem (apart from some that were only recorded as oral) is published in this book both in it's original language and in English translation with a page or two following describing the language, it's origin, it's culture, it's people as well as the author of the poem and some of their experiences. Divided into continents it was honestly just a truely riveting study of how words and communication is just so universal.
Excellent.
December 16, 2024
bought this for a dear friend but ended up reading it myself first. really really excellent work
November 18, 2022
A great project, really lovely. Only shame is that some poems didn't include the original, but only a translation?
August 9, 2020
Una interesante y bien cuidada selección de poemas escritos en lenguas que se resisten a desaparecer. Viajando por los cinco continentes, fluyen poemas y canciones de tradición oral junto a creaciones contemporáneas. Sorprende gratamente la temática feminista de muchos de ellos (maravillosos los adagios pastunes) y la reivindicación de la lengua como parte de la naturaleza misma.
April 20, 2020
Sat down to read this for poetry month. I'm always a little leery of language documentation for the sake of scientific inquiry/linguistic ecology/the historical record—however well intentioned, it isolates the spoken words from their speakers and tends to center language death as a tragedy for Humanity's Linguistic Diversity, instead of a symptom of cultural and communal death. "we discovered that we ourselves were the language" Valzhyna Mort writes (trans. from Belarusian) in this collection, which does an admirable job of keeping the focus on the speakers of endangered languages, and what their words mean to them. Every poem is accompanied by an English translation, an overview of the language, a bio of the poet, and a short but thoughtful close read of some of the poem. Poetry is a wonderful genre for documentation because it exposes the inadequacy of recorded grammars that attempt to comprehensively catalogue dying languages—there's always room for creative expression, for novelty. Underrepresentation of non-European endangered languages notwithstanding, this was an insightful read and it compelled me to explore some of the featured poets' other work.
January 12, 2025
Poems from the Edge of Extinction is a book not just about poetry, but also about the precarious nature of languages. Oppression, disuse and generational gaps have brought many of the languages featured in the book to the brink of extinction and while some, like the Maori and Welsh languages, are undergoing a revival with governments acknowledging them and promoting their use and teaching, many seem fated to die out and leave behind nothing but the fragile records of their existence.
The poems themselves vary greatly in tone and topic, some confronting the forces that have silenced them and their own gradual disappearance while others celebrate the universal themes of poetry: love, life and the natural world. While seeing the poems in their original languages was interesting, as someone who is not a linguist, I found myself wanting to hear them read by a fluent speaker so I could get a real feeling of the language rather than trying to guess how to read them.
Because of the extensive explanations for each language and poem, I was also able to come away from the collection with several recommendations for further reading which I look forward to exploring in the future!
The poems themselves vary greatly in tone and topic, some confronting the forces that have silenced them and their own gradual disappearance while others celebrate the universal themes of poetry: love, life and the natural world. While seeing the poems in their original languages was interesting, as someone who is not a linguist, I found myself wanting to hear them read by a fluent speaker so I could get a real feeling of the language rather than trying to guess how to read them.
Because of the extensive explanations for each language and poem, I was also able to come away from the collection with several recommendations for further reading which I look forward to exploring in the future!
August 21, 2022
Poems from the Edge of Extinction: An Anthology of Poetry in Endangered Languages is a compelling read for anyone interested in the variety of stories that are woven into the fabric of human experience. Once the 50 languages identified and honored in this book with a poem, description of the language, bio of the author, and analysis of the poem are gone, that fabric will be riven to shreds.
When we think of climate change, we rightly think of rising temperatures of the air and water, melting glaciers, drought, forest fires, and animals' extinction. This book brings home the deleterious effects of climate change on human diversity.
The poems are beautiful and powerful. McCabe's analysis is always helpful because, often, the symbols and the references in the poems are not available outside the cultures of the languages they were written in.
When we think of climate change, we rightly think of rising temperatures of the air and water, melting glaciers, drought, forest fires, and animals' extinction. This book brings home the deleterious effects of climate change on human diversity.
The poems are beautiful and powerful. McCabe's analysis is always helpful because, often, the symbols and the references in the poems are not available outside the cultures of the languages they were written in.
December 31, 2023
What an incredible collection. I loved the layout of the book with the poem in its original form on the left and the English translation on the right. I found this a very interesting book to read the same year that I read Babel, to contrast the theme of "translation as violence" with "translation as preservation". Of course, colonialism is a driving force for so many of these languages going extinct. I particularly loved the interstitial text describing the language, the culture, and the method of translation each poem underwent. The idea of a poem going through an intermediate language before getting to English and still managing to convey the original meaning is incredible. I also really appreciated the moments where the author pointed out something about the rhythm or rhyme of the original text and I was able to flip back and notice "oh yes all the lines DO rhyme, incredible!" Such a cool book, very glad I have it on my shelf.
July 13, 2024
Poems from the Edge of Extinction is a collection of poetry from endangered languages and cultures. Many of the poems featured in this anthology are about the tragedy of language death, and seeing them represented in their original languages and their translations highlights the gravity of what is lost. This book shows many kinds of poems, from secret feminist songs to collaborative rituals to bitter proclamations, and they all showcase the poets' cultures, pride, and refusal to let their languages die. This collection was inspiring and heartfelt, and the idea of it is a noble one that I'm happy to bear witness to. I appreciated the added context of the languages and poets, though I have mixed feelings about the poems being explained to me by someone other than their poets, as poetry is subjective and the meaning should be left up to the reader. I am glad these poems, and these languages, have a space in books like this to show that they never will be gone or forgotten.
November 16, 2020
I saw this at a language fair last year and somehow refrained from buying it immediately.
I bought it the very next day though.
Zero regrets.
This is a fascinating collection of poems from all over the world, written and/or recited by native or near-native speakers and accompanied by translations into English. Each poem is also accompanied by a quick explanation of where the language is spoken, what its current status is (critically endangered, vulnerable, etc.) and which other languages it resembles (if any), as well as giving a bit of backstory regarding both the poets and the people translating their work.
As a word-nerd I must admit I enjoyed puzzling out what the words meant in the original poems as much as I enjoyed reading the translations! Is my translator brain ever off duty, that is what we must ask ourselves.
Anyway, protect minority languages y'all.
I bought it the very next day though.
Zero regrets.
This is a fascinating collection of poems from all over the world, written and/or recited by native or near-native speakers and accompanied by translations into English. Each poem is also accompanied by a quick explanation of where the language is spoken, what its current status is (critically endangered, vulnerable, etc.) and which other languages it resembles (if any), as well as giving a bit of backstory regarding both the poets and the people translating their work.
As a word-nerd I must admit I enjoyed puzzling out what the words meant in the original poems as much as I enjoyed reading the translations! Is my translator brain ever off duty, that is what we must ask ourselves.
Anyway, protect minority languages y'all.
April 11, 2021
A fascinating and beautiful collection of poems. I love that they did not shy away from poems with difficult and highly charged topics, but also included love poems and even children's poems. I also greatly appreciated that each poem was contextualized and explored. I have found several poems that I know I will read again and again.
My only major complaint is that poems in European languages still make up the lion's share of this anthology. I find this ironic and not a little disappointing, especially given the role that European and American imperialism has played (and continues to play) in the erasure of indigenous languages and cultures. While I'm not arguing that they don't have a place in this work, I do find it sad that the areas of the world with the most language loss have the least representation in this book.
My only major complaint is that poems in European languages still make up the lion's share of this anthology. I find this ironic and not a little disappointing, especially given the role that European and American imperialism has played (and continues to play) in the erasure of indigenous languages and cultures. While I'm not arguing that they don't have a place in this work, I do find it sad that the areas of the world with the most language loss have the least representation in this book.
January 20, 2024
Fascinating and informative and the poetry’s good too! The poems are laid out side by side next to the translations. After the poem is a discussion of the language, a bio of the translator, information about original poet, and information about the poem itself. So many interested facts - there are 7,000 spoken languages in the world today. The top 25 languages are spoken by 3.5 billion people leaving 6,975 languages spoken by the remaining 3.5 billion people on Earth. Connects made between linguistics and poetry were interesting as well.
December 13, 2020
If I was only rating the poems in this anthology, this would be a three-star read. However, the extra information and educational impact of these glimpses into small, mostly little-known languages was so fascinating and important.
All in all I really enjoyed this reading experience, and found the multicultural, multilingual variety incredibly captivating. I especially want to read more Afghani landay poems, which I would have probably never heard of if it weren't for this book.
All in all I really enjoyed this reading experience, and found the multicultural, multilingual variety incredibly captivating. I especially want to read more Afghani landay poems, which I would have probably never heard of if it weren't for this book.
July 3, 2021
An Ode to language. This book will be treasured and have a special place in my heart. It's not so much about the poetry, but the immense power of all those endangered languages together in this anthology. It felt like discovering a secret history. I am so glad we have access to this. Many of these languages will go extinct and this book might be the only evidence of their existence in the near future!
July 26, 2022
A really interesting read - I liked the focus on the poet’s experience of speaking in their language and the short analysis of each poem, making most of the poems really accessible despite the difficulties that translating literature brings. The presentation of these ideas through poetry was really well done overall although sometimes I was unsure about the choice of poem for each language, although this is completely subjective.
October 16, 2022
I was oblivious to language extinction, this collection is a masterclass. The narrative with each poem gives the reader an insight into the role of the poem in its community. Some are social, some educational sharing lore. I enjoyed found it interesting Seeing the written original poems beside the translation. Glad we read and shared our impressions
February 13, 2022
What a wonderfully fascinating book. I’m so glad it exists. As others have said, the actual poems would probably warrant a 3-star rating. But the commentary and extra information bump it up to four and make it a fascinating book to own. I am so glad it’s a part of my library.
February 1, 2020
I'm not going to say a couple of the translation methods didn't make me flinch. But it was fascinating.
April 18, 2020
Extraordinary reading poems from languages on the brink of dying out. You really get how languages shape reality: what is seen and what is not. These poems open up worlds you have never been to.
March 17, 2023
Read for the Māori poetry
Love the purpose of this book
Love the purpose of this book
July 11, 2023
I loved reading this book so much!
August 24, 2024
Excellent. Hard to say I’ve “finished” it. This is something I will never place too far from my hand.
August 29, 2025
poignant, gorgeous, life-changing
June 27, 2022
Two of my favorite things…poetry and language. I loved reading the poems and their translations side by side. I appreciate that some of them are recorded in their original languages and accessible on YouTube. I wish they all were as I really enjoyed hearing the poems and all of the different languages.
May 12, 2020
This is an unusual and important poetry collection, and I am so glad to have picked it up. The anthology takes one poem from fifty different languages at risk of extinction in the near future. Split into sections for each continent, poems range in theme and tone. It is clear that a lot of research and effort has gone into compiling this book, and sharing the voice of poets who write in these endangered languages. Maybe increased awareness of the variety of languages that exists, and how many are being strangled out by the predominant languages, will help to save the world's rich linguistic diversity for future generations.
The anthology begins with an interesting introduction which discusses the importance of the collection. I hadn’t thought before about modern day languages going extinct, or the scale of it, but in a rapidly urbanising world driven by globalisation, it makes sense for the few most prominent ‘prestigious’ languages to take over until new generations no longer learn their traditional languages. It’s so sad that important parts of heritage and identity can be lost so quickly because the modern world does not see enough value in learning the old ways. And it is fascinating how the human mind has created so many different languages, so distinct from one another.
I tried to read aloud the poems written in Latin letters (some are written in alphabets I’m not familiar with). It’s interesting to read poems without understanding the meaning of the words; they have a musical quality, and are enjoyable for their rhythms alone. After each poem in its original language, there is a translation into English, and an explanation about the original language, the poet, the translator, and interpretations of the words. This added context was fascinating, and helped give the poems the well rounded understanding that they deserve. It also shows the amazing skill of the translators (often working with the poet) to not only incorporate meanings, but also form a poem which in many cases matches the rhythm and rhyme of the original.
Poems from the Edge of Extinction is an essential reminder of the wide variety, and also the fragility, of language and culture. It is also a reminder that there is something below that ties us all together, common themes grown separately in different cultures, that connects us all in shared humanity.
The anthology begins with an interesting introduction which discusses the importance of the collection. I hadn’t thought before about modern day languages going extinct, or the scale of it, but in a rapidly urbanising world driven by globalisation, it makes sense for the few most prominent ‘prestigious’ languages to take over until new generations no longer learn their traditional languages. It’s so sad that important parts of heritage and identity can be lost so quickly because the modern world does not see enough value in learning the old ways. And it is fascinating how the human mind has created so many different languages, so distinct from one another.
I tried to read aloud the poems written in Latin letters (some are written in alphabets I’m not familiar with). It’s interesting to read poems without understanding the meaning of the words; they have a musical quality, and are enjoyable for their rhythms alone. After each poem in its original language, there is a translation into English, and an explanation about the original language, the poet, the translator, and interpretations of the words. This added context was fascinating, and helped give the poems the well rounded understanding that they deserve. It also shows the amazing skill of the translators (often working with the poet) to not only incorporate meanings, but also form a poem which in many cases matches the rhythm and rhyme of the original.
Poems from the Edge of Extinction is an essential reminder of the wide variety, and also the fragility, of language and culture. It is also a reminder that there is something below that ties us all together, common themes grown separately in different cultures, that connects us all in shared humanity.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews