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Glossary entry

Polish term or phrase:

szum lasu/drzew [conventional phrase]

English translation:

the rustle/the whisper/the soothing sound of the forest/of forest trees

Added to glossary by Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D.
Mar 8, 2017 17:02
7 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Polish term

szum lasu/drzew [conventional phrase]

Polish to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature
Is this a THING in English? In the sense of an existing conventional set phrase? I think not, but please reassure me - I'll happily give points to an answer that says ''not a thing'' if it's the case but I'd be delighted to discover the phrase if it exists.

I'm not really looking for a way to translate it (I'll happily come up with several) if it isn't, but trying to make sure that I am not missing anything [insert trees/forest/missing puns here].
Proposed translations (English)
3 +1 the rustle/the whisper/the soothing sound of the forest/of forest trees
2 susurration/soughing/whooshing of the trees/woods
Change log

Mar 10, 2017 12:45: Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D. Created KOG entry

Discussion

Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D. Mar 9, 2017:
This is the crashing surf. Would keep me awake too.
magdadh (asker) Mar 9, 2017:
@Frank I grew up in a slum about 100 yards from a vast Baltic beach and still remember the sound of the crashing waves during winter/spring storms, loud and clear at night even behind closed windows. I'm not sure if it would soothe me to sleep but I love this sound:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8zBtzYYBDc
magdadh (asker) Mar 9, 2017:
@JackMark Wind in the trees is it.
Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D. Mar 8, 2017:
Calming Sea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX4j_zHAlw8
bring your own sunscreen lotion and beach umbrella.
Jacek Kloskowski Mar 8, 2017:
no to posłuchajmy: https://youtu.be/4KzFe50RQkQ :)
Jacek Kloskowski Mar 8, 2017:
I am thinking of the "hum of the forest" but I am not quite sure about that , usually I think of the sound of "wind in the trees" collocation
magdadh (asker) Mar 8, 2017:
I'll take rustling of leaves over ''barking'' or sounding as ''always arguing with each other'' - that's to the British ear.

As to French... you know what they say about men who clean bathrooms....
Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D. Mar 8, 2017:
Yes, it does. Rustle also has an onomatopoeic quality as does whisper, e.g. whispering forest, and murmur as in murmuring sea.
magdadh (asker) Mar 8, 2017:
Yes, I am too ;) It's amazing though that there is no ''szum'' isn't it? As it's also nicely onomatopoeic in Polish.
Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D. Mar 8, 2017:
I am making them up as I go along.:) The noise of the sea or the forest, as long as you do not interpret noise as a negative quality. The sounds of crackling twigs, of rustling leaves, of tree trunks rubbing gently against one another. The sound of waves lapping against the shore.
magdadh (asker) Mar 8, 2017:
@Frank Is there a collocation, common conventional one (''rustle of leaves'' is a good English example here) that expresses the wsshhoshooo sound that a forest makes when the trees move kind of together? Szum is actually a difficult one generally. Szum morza for example - sound of the sea, no specific word.

Rustle of leaves was what I was going to use, but it's not QUITE the same I feel. Though I'm probably splitting very very thin twigs here.
Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D. Mar 8, 2017:
What do you mean by the THING? Poetically, one can have
the rustle of leaves in the forest/the sounds of the forest/of the trees.

Proposed translations

+1
41 mins
Selected

the rustle/the whisper/the soothing sound of the forest/of forest trees

Rustle also has an onomatopoeic quality as does whisper, e.g. whispering forest, and murmur as in murmuring sea.

Other unhinged thoughts:
the rustle of leaves in the forest/the sounds of the forest/of the trees.
The noise of the sea or the forest, as long as you do not interpret noise as a negative quality. The sounds of crackling twigs, of rustling leaves, of tree trunks rubbing gently against one another. The sound of waves lapping against the shore.

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Note added at 1 hr (2017-03-08 18:09:39 GMT)
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More throughts:
the hum or humming of the forest
Peer comment(s):
agree Jacek Kloskowski : rustling sound sounds good too https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/rustling
4 hrs
Thank you, JackMark. One can match words to the mood as well. My best regards.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
9 hrs

susurration/soughing/whooshing of the trees/woods

A man who takes daily walks in the woods of upstate New York wants a word for the whooshing of the pines high above their heads. The hosts suggest the Latin-based word susurration, although they might also have suggested soughing. - https://www.waywordradio.org/susurration/

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susurration - soft, whispering or rustling sound; a murmur. - http://www.wordnik.com/words/susurration

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to make a soft murmuring or rustling sound - http://www.wordnik.com/words/sough

--

soughing
(of the wind in trees, the sea, etc.) make a moaning, whistling, or rushing sound. - https://goo.gl/cwhGT5
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