I think one of the most interesting kinds of stories are true stories that relate things that really happened in life and also offer people a look into a bit of history. My dad Eriks Raisters was a popular Latvian poet, writer and editor. He and my mother were both among the people who had to escape from their homeland Latvia during WW II. I would like to relate some of their story and particularly tell you about my dad. This is the beginning of the journey.
One of the most difficult things to do is to translate a poem from one language to another because it is the poet who instills life into his poetry and the translated word must express the feelings and the emotions of the poet. Raisters dedicated most of his life to the poetic word. Unfortunately …show more content…
The worst was on June 17, 1940 when the Soviets occupied Latvia and he had to leave his homeland behind.
“The wave that breaks against the shore, Never repeats itself, Others come and come… “ This is from a poem “Vilni” or “Waves” and symbolizes the many different changing events in his life.
Raisters had a book of poems published in 1931 titled “Men” and these poems are of a romantic nature. Poems such as “Damai Ar Papirosu” or “To the Lady with The Cigarette” - “Love is or can also be an ache or even pain…” There are also poems about being happy to be living and about striving to achieve something.
His second book of poems comes out in 1939 and is called “Plosti” (“Rafts”). The book is divided into five sections and is comprised of ballads and poems. In a critique of this book it was said that the love poems here were the best of the lot. However there are other poems worth reading such as the ones about Latvia, and life of the Latvian people.
The book “Mans Laiks” (“My Time”) which was published in 1950 in Germany is of a completely different nature. Here are poems about the war, the fate of the Latvian people and of life in exile. “Homeland has been left far behind but a person is still able to
One of the most difficult things to do is to translate a poem from one language to another because it is the poet who instills life into his poetry and the translated word must express the feelings and the emotions of the poet. Raisters dedicated most of his life to the poetic word. Unfortunately …show more content…
The worst was on June 17, 1940 when the Soviets occupied Latvia and he had to leave his homeland behind.
“The wave that breaks against the shore, Never repeats itself, Others come and come… “ This is from a poem “Vilni” or “Waves” and symbolizes the many different changing events in his life.
Raisters had a book of poems published in 1931 titled “Men” and these poems are of a romantic nature. Poems such as “Damai Ar Papirosu” or “To the Lady with The Cigarette” - “Love is or can also be an ache or even pain…” There are also poems about being happy to be living and about striving to achieve something.
His second book of poems comes out in 1939 and is called “Plosti” (“Rafts”). The book is divided into five sections and is comprised of ballads and poems. In a critique of this book it was said that the love poems here were the best of the lot. However there are other poems worth reading such as the ones about Latvia, and life of the Latvian people.
The book “Mans Laiks” (“My Time”) which was published in 1950 in Germany is of a completely different nature. Here are poems about the war, the fate of the Latvian people and of life in exile. “Homeland has been left far behind but a person is still able to