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Language and Folklore. 
Text no. 6. 
ernip uartiwara nano 7 Bas WA, SH MT EE A 
argaluapuarliwara'na'no'n URI FL ODA LUN ER NET DEN 
sanapaliwarlariyana'no'n OR ис Асан 80 
san'arlilono'nano'n BEE LES DIE BUN 
A charm (magic prayer) has this prosodical structure: 
Text no. 65. 
EC ea — awaler шаграга 
Го а ео 
сы ei oc in) 
nr N > I Sr u SNS 
ps Il Se m 
ее rt Nast <-> [> 
ae N, Sr u m 
LR IN (ES) ESS 
ea ea 
The poetical style in the poetry of East Greenland cannot exactly 
be characterized by figurative language, much less by flowery expres- 
sions or allegories. By no means! 
The choice of subject is the first step, the first outcome of the 
spontaneity that creates the poem in given circumstances. How na- 
tural it comes to the Eskimo to clothe his ideas in poetical dress 
we observe from the number of poetical species, from the variegation 
of the themes and from their close connection with the practical 
life. The poet describes his subject realistically and punctually, now 
underlining it keenly, now veiling it mystically, now with grotesque 
violence, now with soothing sympathy. Here are happy and wanton 
voices, sad and despondent voices, words that are now caressing and 
arch, now solemn and agonized, and sometimes deep and wild ex- 
clamations, like the screeching of birds. 
But it is difficult to define more precisely what the peculiar 
beauty of their style consists in. Their whole manner of thinking, 
feeling and expressing themselves is so tremendously different from 
ours. A foreign race here speaks in a foreign language of its intimate 
life in a world that is separated from ours by thousands of years. 
Some day, perhaps, if a stronger interest in exotic poetry may some- 
where awake among the estheticians of the future they will also 
reach a deeper understanding of this primitive kind of art, this folk- 
poetry from the arctic part of mankind. 
LX. 12 
