Many people still do not accept that it is possible to understand and translate the languages of birds and other species, despite the scientific research which shows that nature and intraspecies communication is real and as ancient as the earth. The skepticism though is present on both sides, other species do not trust humans and do not believe that their language will be translated morally. They expect more of the same: continuing abuse and appropriation of their original creative works. Mourning Dove$ is a bird willing to give humans a chance but on strict terms. Whilst this is an exclusive translation and has been endorsed by the poet it is also subject to the copyright infringement laws usually reserved for human artists. Mourning Dove$ was at first unwilling to be translated, preferring to remain opaque and inaccessible, citing the impossibility of true representation and a distrust of the motivations of the translator. Such distrust is understandable given the history of representation of animals and nature in Literature but after convening with a special legal team the translation was approved.
The poem ‘Not your Passenger’ is the first in ‘Mourning Dove$’ new collection Traffic Lights. For those unfamiliar with the meteoric rise in popularity of Mourning Dove$ poetry, this first poem is a good introduction into the poet’s signature style, the live uncensored disrespect dirge. Committed to live performance, this poet is usually found waxing lyrical in the vicinity of the three main roads (La Cienega, Stocker, and La Brea) which surround Kenneth Hahn Park. With anywhere between 1500 to 2000 captive followers a day, the poet usually performs during morning and evening rush hour, as you will hear the poems are hopeful and anticipatory of human catastrophe. An unusual influencer, Mourning Dove$ has been called a new species of insta poet and therefore not given much attention in the literary community, however, this exclusive translation of birdsong will reveal this poet has a subversive and political agenda and
The poet has until recently refused any formal publication not wanting to feel caged in the confines of a book.
“Books flatten and distort my voice.”
However, Mourning Dove$ understand the need, now more than ever for intraspecies communication. This review and translation of a collection of live poems recorded during a morning rush hour is a rare glimpse into the bird behind the popular and much-sampled works.
Not Your Passenger – Mourning Dove$ translated by Tlly Jmra
No smoking human in cages
Passenger Pigeon
Car crashes
Extinction
Live in peace for now
Whilst we surprise the lights
The piece comments on the problematic history of the Passenger Pigeon extinction in America. The rhythms, r, petitions and assonance of Car and Crashes juxtaposed with the rhyming of Pigeon and Extinction creates a cyclicality which suggest a moral parallel between the extinction of the passenger pigeon and the numerous car crashes at the busy intersection where this was performed. However, the lack of a sense of time, the impossible to translate images make it difficult to assert any intentions of causality but the forcefulness of the title suggest this poem is addressing the driver of the car in poem, but it is also symbolic of being a passenger in a vehicle (a poem/song). The key metaphors in this poem are the intersecting roads each hurtling towards a future, yet agency seems ascribed to the narrator who floats above the scene and chooses not to be a passenger.
(The reviewer has been contacted by Mourning Dove$ legal team concerning a class action copyright infringement suit in which Mourning Dove$ and a flock of other birds are seeking royalties for samples of their poems posted online without permission, please respect the rights of these artists by crediting each use.)