For a general introduction to the literary and cultural background of
the present translation, and to the North-East Scots dialect itself, see
the introduction to my translation of Carroll's previous book, Ailce's
Anters in Ferlielann. As there, I have used a conservative form of the
dialect, checking the words and pronunciations against classic literary
texts (and this time also against the earlier translation, to ensure
consistency). As there too, I have endeavoured to find a specific
equivalent for every joke, pun, allusion and other trick of style in the
original. The metrical and rhyme patterns of the poems are maintained:
as always in poetic translations of any kind, this procedure
necessitates some departures from the original wording; and in one
instance, namely the sequence of thirteen rhymes on "toe" in the
closing section of the White Knight's song, I have assumed the licence
to treat Carroll's lines with complete freedom. Puns and other forms of
word-play appear at corresponding places to those in the source book:
this too necessarily entails departure from the original wording, as in
the Midgie's (Carroll's Gnat's) "Somethin about a haverin aiver, ye ken"
to replace "Something about 'horse' and 'hoarse', you know".
Culture-bound allusions are replaced with ones more readily associated
with the expected new readership (his Anglo-Saxon messengers with their
Anglo-Saxon attitudes becoming Pictish messengers with Pictish
poseitions); and a clearly-differentiated speech-form, namely the
Clydeside basilect, is again used for characters whose dialogue in the
original suggests non-standard English (the Frog in Chapter IX and the
Wasp in the "lost" episode). --Derrick McClure
