I recently got this Latvian postcard and I’m not Latvian, so I don’t know for sure, but it seems like this card uses old Latvian orthography. Any help is appreciated!
Yeah, this uses old orthography we used to have. So the poem itself goes like this:
>Jau mēness starus laista
>
>Pār kluso ezeru
>
>Es sēdu vientuļa laivā
>
>Gar krastu braukāju
>
>
>
>Uz balto ūdens puķi
>
>Es skumji lūkoju
>
>Un tavu bālo seju
>
>Es dzelmē ieraugu
>
>——- Vensku Eduards
I’ll roughly translate, but I can’t make it rhyme properly, sorry 😀
>Moon is casting it’s rays
>
>Over the silent lake
>
>I’m sitting alone in the boat
>
>Riding along the shore
>
>
>
>At white water lily
>
>I’m looking all sad
>
>And your pale face
>
>I see in the depths
It would probably sound better if the lines/words were reordered to fit English more, but there you go.
Something like:
Already the moon is sprinkling its rays
Over the silent lake
I sit in a lonely boat
Riding alongside the shore
To the white side of water
I look sadly
And your pale face
In the deep I see
“Happiness fades fast, but loving memories, glimmer in your heart for long.” Happy Birthday! Can’t decipher the rest but a few words.
And to conclude the translations – the recepient address says:
Dzērbenes mācītāj muiž (Dzērbene Vicarage – is that really a word? the house/manor of the pastor/priest)
5 comments
I recently got this Latvian postcard and I’m not Latvian, so I don’t know for sure, but it seems like this card uses old Latvian orthography. Any help is appreciated!
Yeah, this uses old orthography we used to have. So the poem itself goes like this:
>Jau mēness starus laista
>
>Pār kluso ezeru
>
>Es sēdu vientuļa laivā
>
>Gar krastu braukāju
>
>
>
>Uz balto ūdens puķi
>
>Es skumji lūkoju
>
>Un tavu bālo seju
>
>Es dzelmē ieraugu
>
>——- Vensku Eduards
The author is [this guy](https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vensku_Edvarts)
I’ll roughly translate, but I can’t make it rhyme properly, sorry 😀
>Moon is casting it’s rays
>
>Over the silent lake
>
>I’m sitting alone in the boat
>
>Riding along the shore
>
>
>
>At white water lily
>
>I’m looking all sad
>
>And your pale face
>
>I see in the depths
It would probably sound better if the lines/words were reordered to fit English more, but there you go.
Something like:
Already the moon is sprinkling its rays
Over the silent lake
I sit in a lonely boat
Riding alongside the shore
To the white side of water
I look sadly
And your pale face
In the deep I see
“Happiness fades fast, but loving memories, glimmer in your heart for long.” Happy Birthday! Can’t decipher the rest but a few words.
And to conclude the translations – the recepient address says:
Dzērbenes mācītāj muiž (Dzērbene Vicarage – is that really a word? the house/manor of the pastor/priest)
God. Anna Berg
​
So Anna lived [here](https://www.visitvecpiebalga.lv/ko-redz%C4%93t/v%C4%93sture/pilis-mui%C5%BEas-un-krogi/dz%C4%93rbenes-m%C4%81c%C4%ABt%C4%81jmui%C5%BEa).