Longing For Langeoog (Satis Shroff)

Were I a sea-gull.

I’d fly to the north,.

To Langeoog,

Where I spent my holidays.

Ach, how wonderful it would be,

I think of the colourful

Wicker beach-chairs with hoods,

And the small island train.

I think of Flut and Ebbe,

Of time and tide,

Clams, starfish, seaweed.

The shores full of shrimps,

Sea-urchins and jelly-fish.

The sun of bathing

In the North Sea,

And the fear of the Qualle.

Grandma Else’s porcellain Stube,

A warm cuppa East Friesian

Candy sugared tea

At the harbour Teestube.

I remember the ‘Watt’n Erlebnis’

What an experience,

During the Watttwanderung,

Along Langeoog’s dark, slicky shores,

Searching for mussels, clams and crabs in the water.

And in the endless sky,

Like an inverted cobalt bowl,

Swarms of Rotschenkel

On their way to Africa.

Glossary:

Qualle: jellyfisherman

Rotschenkel: red-legged island birds

Watt’n Erlebnis: what an experience, with a pun on Watt

Stube: store, shop