ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Billy Collins - Poet
A two-term U.S. Poet Laureate, Billy Collins captures readers with his understated wit, profound insight -- and a sense of being "hospitable."

Why you should listen

Accessibility is not a word often associated with great poetry. Yet Billy Collins has managed to create a legacy from what he calls being poetically “hospitable.” Preferring lyrical simplicity to abstruse intellectualism, Collins combines humility and depth of perception, undercutting light and digestible topics with dark and at times biting humor.

While Collins approaches his work with a healthy sense of self-deprecation, calling his poems “domestic” and “middle class,” John Taylor has said of Collins: “Rarely has anyone written poems that appear so transparent on the surface yet become so ambiguous, thought-provoking, or simply wise once the reader has peered into the depths.”

In 2001 he was named U.S. Poet Laureate, a title he kept until 2003. Collins lives in Somers, New York, and is an English professor at City University of New York, where he has taught for more than 40 years.

Credits for the animations in this talk:

"Budapest," "Forgetfulness" and "Some Days" -- animation by Julian Grey/Head Gear

"The Country" -- animation by Brady Baltezor/Radium

"The Dead" -- animation by Juan Delcan/Spontaneous
 

More profile about the speaker
Billy Collins | Speaker | TED.com
TED2014

Billy Collins: Two poems about what dogs think (probably)

Billy Collins: To dikt om hva hunder tenker (antakeligvis)

Filmed:
1,748,151 views

Hva tenker hundene våre når de ser på oss? Poet Billy Collins forestiller de indre livene hos to veldig forskjellige følgesvenner. Det er en sjarmerende kortpresentasjon, perfekt for å ta en pause og drømme seg bort litt...
- Poet
A two-term U.S. Poet Laureate, Billy Collins captures readers with his understated wit, profound insight -- and a sense of being "hospitable." Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:13
I don't know if you've noticedla merke til,
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Jeg vet ikke om dere har lagt merke til det,
00:14
but there's been a spateflom of booksbøker
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men det har vært en flom av bøker
00:16
that have come out latelyi det siste
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som har kommet ut i det siste,
00:17
contemplatingvurderer or speculatingspekulere
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og som drøfter eller spekulerer
00:20
on the cognitionkognisjon and emotionalemosjonelle life of dogshunder.
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rundt viljestyringen og følelslivet til hunder.
00:24
Do they think, do they feel and, if so, how?
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Tenker de, føler de, og i såfall, hvordan?
00:27
So this afternoonettermiddag, in my limitedbegrenset time,
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Så denne ettermiddagen, med min begrensede tid,
00:29
I wanted to take the guessworkgjetting out of a lot of that
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ønsket jeg å ta gjetningen ut av mye av det
00:31
by introducinginnføre you to two dogshunder,
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ved å introdusere dere for to hunder,
00:34
bothbåde of whomhvem have takentatt the commandkommando "speaksnakke"
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og begge har tatt kommandoen "prat"
00:39
quiteganske literallybokstavelig.
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ganske bokstavelig.
00:43
The first doghund is the first to go,
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Den første hunden er førstemann ut,
00:46
and he is contemplatingvurderer an aspectaspektet
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og han drøfter et aspekt
00:50
of his relationshipforhold to his ownerEieren,
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av sitt forhold til sin eier,
00:52
and the titletittel is "A DogHunden on His MasterMaster."
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og tittelen lyder "En hund om sin mester":
00:57
"As youngung as I look,
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"Så ung som jeg ser ut,
00:59
I am growingvoksende oldereldre fasterraskere than he.
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vokser jeg gammel raskere enn han.
01:02
SevenSyv to one is the ratioforholdet, they tendtendens to say.
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Syv til ett er forholdet pleier de å si.
01:06
WhateverHva the numberAntall, I will passpassere him one day
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Uansett nummeret vil jeg gå han forbi
01:09
and take the leadlede,
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og ta ledelsen an,
01:11
the way I do on our walksvandringer in the woodsskogen,
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som jeg gjør på turene våre i skogen,
01:14
and if this ever managesadministrerer to crosskryss his mindsinn,
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og om dette noen gang krysser hans sinn,
01:18
it would be the sweetestsøteste shadowskygge
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ville det være den søteste skyggen
01:20
I have ever caststøpt on snowsnø or grassgress."
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jeg noen gang har kastet over snø eller gress."
01:25
(ApplauseApplaus)
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(applaus i salen)
01:28
Thank you.
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Takk.
01:31
And our nextneste doghund
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Og vår neste hund...
01:34
speakssnakker in something calledkalt the revenantrevenant,
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... snakker i noe kalt tilbakevendelsen,
01:37
whichhvilken meansmidler a spiritånd that comeskommer back
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som betyr at en ånd har kommet tilbake
01:39
to visitbesøk you.
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for å besøke deg.
01:43
"I am the doghund you put to sleepsove,
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"Jeg er hunden du avlivet,
01:47
as you like to call the needlenål of oblivionOblivion,
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som du liker å kalle tomhetsnålen,
01:50
come back to tell you this simpleenkel thing:
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jeg kom tilbake for å si denne enkle saken:
01:53
I never likedlikte you."
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Jeg likte deg aldri."
01:55
(LaughterLatter)
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(latter i salen)
01:57
"When I lickedslikket your faceansikt,
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"Når jeg sleiket fjeset ditt,
01:59
I thought of bitingbite off your nosenese.
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tenkte jeg på å bite av deg nesen.
02:02
When I watchedovervåket you towelingtoweling yourselfdeg selv drytørke,
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Når jeg så deg tørke deg med håndkledet,
02:05
I wanted to leaphoppe and unmanunman you with a snapsnap.
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ville jeg springe frem og avmanne deg med et knekk.
02:09
I resentedmislikte the way you movedflyttet,
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Jeg avskydde måten du beveget deg på,
02:11
your lackmangel på of animaldyr graceGrace,
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din mangel på dyrisk prominans,
02:13
the way you would sitsitte in a chairstol to eatspise,
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måten du satt i stolen og åt,
02:16
a napkinserviett on your laprunde, a knifekniv in your handhånd.
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en serviett på fanget, en kniv i hånden.
02:20
I would have runløpe away
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Jeg ville rømt fra deg,
02:22
but I was too weaksvak,
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men jeg var for svak,
02:23
a tricktriks you taughtundervist me
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et triks du lærte meg
02:25
while I was learninglæring to sitsitte and heelhæl
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mens jeg lærte å sitte og gå fot
02:28
and, greateststørst of insultsfornærmelser,
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og, den største fornærmelsen,
02:30
shakeriste handshender withoututen a handhånd.
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håndhilse uten en hånd.
02:34
I admitinnrømme the sightsyn of the leashleiekontrakten would exciteopphisse me,
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Jeg innrømmer at synet av båndet gjorde meg opprømt,
02:38
but only because it meantbetydde I was about to smelllukt things
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men bare fordi det betydde at jeg ville lukte ting
02:41
you had never touchedberørt.
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du aldri har rørt ved.
02:46
You do not want to believe this,
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Du ønsker ikke å tro dette,
02:47
but I have no reasongrunnen til to lieå ligge:
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men jeg har ingen grunn til å lyve:
02:50
I hatedhatet the carbil, hatedhatet the rubbergummi toysleker,
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Jeg hatet bilen, jeg hatet gummileker,
02:54
dislikedmislikte your friendsvenner, and worseverre, your relativesslektninger.
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mislikte vennene dine, og verre, dine slektninger.
02:59
The jinglingjingling of my tagsTags drovekjørte me madgal.
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Ranglingen fra halsbåndet mitt drev meg gal.
03:03
You always scratchedriper me in the wrongfeil placeplass."
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Du klødde meg alltid på feil plass."
03:06
(LaughterLatter)
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(latter i salen)
03:08
"All I ever wanted from you was foodmat and watervann
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"Alt jeg noen gang ønsket fra deg var mat og vann
03:11
in my bowlsboller.
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i skålene mine.
03:13
While you sleptsov, I watchedovervåket you breathepuste
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Mens du sov så jeg deg puste
03:15
as the moonmåne roserose in the skyhimmel.
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mens månen steg på himmelen.
03:17
It tooktok all of my strengthstyrke
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Det tok all min styrke
03:19
not to raiseheve my headhode and howlhyl.
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å ikke lette på hodet og ule.
03:22
Now, I am freegratis of the collarkrage,
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Nå, fri fra halsbåndet,
03:24
freegratis of the yellowgul raincoatregnfrakk,
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fri fra den gule regnfrakken,
03:27
monogrammedmonogrammed sweatergenser,
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broderte genseren,
03:29
the absurdityabsurde of your lawnplen,
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absurditeten med din gressplen,
03:32
and that is all you need to know about this placeplass,
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og det er alt du behøver å vite om dette stedet,
03:35
exceptunntatt what you alreadyallerede supposedment
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sett bort fra hva du allerede antok
03:38
and are gladglad it did not happenskje soonerraskere,
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og er glad ikke skjedde tidligere,
03:40
that everyonealle here can readlese and writeskrive,
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at alle her kan lese og skrive,
03:43
the dogshunder in poetrypoesi,
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hundene i poesi,
03:47
the catskatter and all the othersandre
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kattene og alle de andre
03:50
in proseprosa."
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i prosa."
03:52
Thank you.
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Takk så mye.
03:54
(ApplauseApplaus)
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(applaus i salen)
Translated by Stian Anmarkrud Mohrsen
Reviewed by Victoria Heby

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Billy Collins - Poet
A two-term U.S. Poet Laureate, Billy Collins captures readers with his understated wit, profound insight -- and a sense of being "hospitable."

Why you should listen

Accessibility is not a word often associated with great poetry. Yet Billy Collins has managed to create a legacy from what he calls being poetically “hospitable.” Preferring lyrical simplicity to abstruse intellectualism, Collins combines humility and depth of perception, undercutting light and digestible topics with dark and at times biting humor.

While Collins approaches his work with a healthy sense of self-deprecation, calling his poems “domestic” and “middle class,” John Taylor has said of Collins: “Rarely has anyone written poems that appear so transparent on the surface yet become so ambiguous, thought-provoking, or simply wise once the reader has peered into the depths.”

In 2001 he was named U.S. Poet Laureate, a title he kept until 2003. Collins lives in Somers, New York, and is an English professor at City University of New York, where he has taught for more than 40 years.

Credits for the animations in this talk:

"Budapest," "Forgetfulness" and "Some Days" -- animation by Julian Grey/Head Gear

"The Country" -- animation by Brady Baltezor/Radium

"The Dead" -- animation by Juan Delcan/Spontaneous
 

More profile about the speaker
Billy Collins | Speaker | TED.com