Eyjafjallajokull, the erupting mountain of April 2010 that has closed many of the world’s airports. This rhyming poem gives the meaning of the name. The pronunciation is hard to say in English because it has guttural sounds. Eh-ya-fyat-la-yah-cuttle is how to say it, but it needs that throaty vowel and consonant sound on the last “cuttle” that is difficult for foreigners like me to say.
Eyjafjallajokull
I just learned the meaning,
Of this mountain’s name,
Magnificent in action,
But loaded up with blame.
It’s venting of its ash cloud
Has stumped air travel sore,
Many people’s plans are thwarted,
For days there’s been no cure.
But this volcanic mountain,
Has a name that’s far from simple
For me, it’s been a challenge
To say, ‘Eyjafjallajokull’!
‘Eyja’ means ‘island’
‘fjalla’ a mountain-hill,
‘jokull’ is a glacier –
So, I ask it—why aren’t you still?
Oh, you’ve been on the boil!
And now you’ve erupted,
Spilling out, not just on the soil…
You’ve clotted up your sky,
Still belching!—Oh so wrathful!
All the world now knows your name,
Eyja-fjalla-jokull!
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