Jóhannes úr Kötlum
Jóhannes úr Kötlum was born on November 4th in 1899 at Goddastaðir in Dalir. He graduated as a teacher in 1921 and worked as a teacher from 1917-33. He was an alternate congressman in 1941. He received awards for his celebratory verses in the Parliament millennium celebrations of 1930 and the Republic of Iceland festivities in 1944. He was awarded the Silver Horse, the newspapers’ award for literature, in 1970 and nominated twice for the Nordic Council Literature Prize. Jóhannes began his career as a neo-romantic poet in the 1920s, but later became a leading force among the radical poets of the depression. After WWII he revolted against traditional form, renewing his poetry through his originality and artistry.
He was a spokesman for peace throughout his life and fought vigorously against Iceland’s occupation by a foreign army. Over two hundred songs have been written to his poems.
Land míns föður, landið mitt,
laugað bláum straumi:
eilíft vakir auglit þitt
ofar tímans glaumi.
Þetta auglit elskum vér,
– – ævi vor á jörðu hér
brot af þínu bergi er,
blik af þínum draumi.
——-
Hvort sem krýnist þessi þjóð
þyrnum eða rósum,
hennar sögur, hennar ljóð,
hennar líf vér kjósum.
Ein á hörpu íss og báls
aldaslag síns guðamáls
æ hún leiki ung og frjáls
undir norðurljósum.
The content of this award winning poem Íslendingaljóð, 17. júní 1944
(A poem of Icelanders, 17th of June 1944) is roughly the following:
The land of my father, my own land,
surrounded by blue ocean streams:
Forever you observe the world
above its daily hustle.
We love your observant gaze.
Our life on this Earth
is part of your rocks and cliffs
and a reflection of your dream.
Whether this nation be crowned
with thorns or roses,
its stories, and its poems,
its life we choose to live.
Always she shall play alone
on a harp of ice and fire,
play her old language,
the language of Gods,
young and free
under the Northern Lights.
Bí, bí og blaka 1926
Álftirnar kvaka 1929
Ég læt sem ég sofi 1932
Jólin koma 1932
Ömmusögur 1933
Og björgin klofnuðu 1934
Samt mun ég vaka 1935
Hrímhvíta móðir 1937
Fuglinn segir 1938
Hart er í heimi 1939
Eilífðar smáblóm 1940
Bakkabræður 1941
Verndarenglarnir 1943
Sól tér sortna 1945
Ljóðið um labbakút 1946
Dauðsmannsey 1949
Siglingin mikla 1950
Frelsisálfan 1951
Sóleyjarkvæði 1952
Hlið hins himneska friðar 1953
Sjödægra 1955
Roðasteinninn og ritfrelsið 1958
Vísur Ingu Dóru 1959
Óljóð 1962
Tregaslagur 1964
Vinaspegill 1965
Mannssonurinn 1966
Ný og nið 1970
K. Capek – Salamöndrustríðið 1946
Annarlegar tungur 1948
H. Fast – Fimm synir 1954
B. Polevoj – Saga af sönnum manni 1955
A. S. Makarenko – Vegurinn til lífsins I-II 1957-58
A. Mykle – Frú Lúna í snörunni 1958
Þýddi fimm barnabækur ásamt Sig. Thorlacius
