Not You, Not the Rain

Marguerite Andersen is a professor of French studies at the University
of Guelph.

This collection of poems, by the Finnish poet Turkka, speaks of a world
unknown to most of us, a contemporary world set against Nordic
mythology. While the emotions underlying Turkka’s poetry are similar
to those of any reader, Nordic mythological animals, Finnish landmarks
and historical events, and the occasional Finnish word give her poems a
flavor that is new to the Canadian reader.

Written in free verse, the poems bring nature and existence very close
together. A “sad, absurd rain” in the fall is “pregnant with
sorrow,” as are the lovers who will part. Insignificant objects take
on significance, animals listen to Yves Montand’s love songs, dust
turns into stone, a new Ice Age threatens. It is certainly interesting
to see how the question of survival in the North is treated by a poet
other than a Canadian one, how close to nature this poet is, and how she
fears nature at the same time.

Paddon has given her translation a rhythm that is haunting, yet
sometimes joyous, and that flows without fail. In her very short
introduction, reprinted on the back of the book, she refers to
Turkka’s “metaphoric and dramatic ingenuity, a kind of female
shamanism.” Paddon seems to have reached the depth of Turkka’s text,
as she forcefully yet gently conveys the poet’s imaginary voyage
through the seasons of nature and emotion.