On Wed, 11 Dec 2002 09:14:13 +0000, Tim Lamb
wrote:

In article , Torsten Brinch
writes
On Tue, 10 Dec 2002 22:00:21 GMT, "Michelle Fulton"
What is the 'floe'?

Adrift

the fallen sunshade the chirp parting
the flashwindcrackle soon glowing
afterimage those leaves momentary
shadows thrown around an invisible fire
always leaving always here

(poem by Helga Härle)

Just as I thought, an oblique Scandinavian escape route. A better
translation might link the word with *flight* or past tense *flown* and
implied *catch me if you can*.

No translation is needed. It is Norwegian 'flo' meaning flat layer,
which has introgressed English to become 'floe', meaning sea ice. It
will be associated to other concepts, e.g. based on spelling likeness,
and the wider connotations of sea ice, and the mind state of the
associator.

There were two youngsters, who followed the tracks of a Nanuk. When
they caught up with it, they started buggering it, trying to molest
it. Of the youngsters, one got away, wounded. The other ended up
partly eaten, the rescue team found his sad remains on the floe. The
bear was subsequent tracked down and shot.

Nice poem though. Is this original or translation?

It is the authors translation from the original.