Glossary entry

Swedish term or phrase:

drapa

English translation:

rant (in this context)

Added to glossary by Michele Fauble
Aug 14, 2007 23:26
17 yrs ago
Swedish term

drapa

Swedish to English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
OK, här kommer drapan.

... jag har ju faktiskt redan skrivit en drapa om nämnda elände, andra halvan av detta blogginlägg.
Proposed translations (English)
2 +1 epic (in this context)
4 +1 drabble

Proposed translations

+1
6 hrs
Selected

epic (in this context)

The definition of drapa is 'Fornnordisk hyllningsdikt med konstfull utformning" - i.e. an elaborate poem praising something, not that different from an ode perhaps, but the word carries a distinctly Old Norse or "viking" flavour.

When used as in your context, it is to be taken in a jocular and non-literal way - not too different from how you might refer disparagingly to a story you are telling that never seems to end like a 'saga' in English, or something you have written, as an 'epic'... which is probably the best option here, unless other context shows that the 'praise' part is important, in which case I don't know...

'Ode' would be a semantic fit, but sounds out of place and not very idiomatic.

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Note added at 9 hrs (2007-08-15 09:16:34 GMT)
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Reading through the context again, it's possible the author does not quite know what a 'drapa' means - he or she refers to (skrivit en drapa om eländet' ('written a 'drapa' about the(my?) misery') - hardly sounds like praise does it... so in case the author meant it to be negative but had misunderstood the actual meaning of 'drapa', perhaps 'lament' would be an option?
Note from asker:
Thanks. In this context it seems to be equivalent to 'rant' in blogspeak.
Peer comment(s):

agree Hugh Curtis : drapa has nothing, etymologically speaking, to do with drabble, which is a made up word by a monthy python fellow
1 hr
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
+1
4 hrs

drabble

A short comment or story.
Note from asker:
Thanks. In this context it seems to be equivalent to 'rant' in blogspeak.
Peer comment(s):

agree EKM : I should have read your referenc before writing my answer. :)
2 hrs
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