Some Poems of Bosnian poet Ms Selma Kopic:
Folders
Memories,
neatly stacked in brain folders,
stored in folders on the computer …
As everything in life ages and fades
and is subject to blockages and breakdowns,
one wrong click erases everything
in just one second.
The years go by
and a convulsive struggle lasts in my head.
Oh, head!
Oh, heart!
I only have you left!
Let other parts of my body betray me,
only you must not betray me!
Only you are the custodians
of all the precious things
I have had.
And I know I’m getting old
because I’m talking on the street
with people I can’t remember at all.
How will I know I have ever loved?
How will I know I have ever been loved?
External memories cannot be trusted.
They heartlessly take, in an instant,
everything entrusted to them for safekeeping.
I don’t have any more footage
of you reciting love to me.
I don’t have any more photos
where you swallowing me with gaze.
I can no longer prove to anyone
that you existed
and that you loved me.
I ask only my heart and mind
to carefully guard these precious moments.
If they also delete you from their folders,
I’ll no longer know
that I was once, briefly, happy,
I’ll not know
that you were once, briefly, mine,
I’ll not know
that I lived at all.
He had it all
He was a simple man.
He didn’t read books or newspapers.
He loved working in the garden,
loved to cheer people up
with delicious food,
witty remarks
and a glass of relaxing drink.
And loved one woman.
My mother.
He used to return from work
with a bouquet of wildflowers
tied with a blade of grass,
just for her.
He sent her beautiful letters
from his business trips.
And he told everyone about her:
– My Mary did this, she did that …
And they came to our house
to see and meet Mary,
about whom he talks so much.
He wasn’t interested
in villas, cars or travel,
he wasn’t interested
in modern clothes or evening outings.
His modest house,
which he built all his life with his own hands,
his garden, his roses… And his Mary.
It was his world.
As children, we wanted, my sisters and I,
a nicer house and regular vacations,
we wanted something he couldn’t
and didn’t know to give us.
Now, as a mature woman
to whom a husband never brought flowers,
I understand him.
It seemed to us that our father had no ambition,
that he didn’t want to achieve more.
Now I know: He had it all.
He had a love he wasn’t ashamed to show,
a love he wore on the left side of his chest
like a medal.
a love he selflessly gave
to everyone around him.
And was happy, infinitely happy.
And we were happy too
and proud to have such a father.
He has been gone for a long time,
but the love he has given us
will remain in our hearts forever.
A SUDDEN STORM
She came unexpectedly,
like a sudden storm
and conquered the world
with great speed.
At first we thought
she was made up,
then she wouldn’t come to us.
And she arrived like a tornado
destroying everything in front of her.
She doesn’t care
about name, nation, or religion.
She doesn’t choose who to mow.
In this war,
she is on one side
and the whole world on the other.
It isn’t easy to fight
an invisible and unknown enemy.
She kills in a row,
forbids hugging and socializing.
The world is united
in this unequal struggle.
There are many heroes,
but also too many victims.
Prayers are heard
in all the languages of the world,
for all the victims,
for all the brave saviors.
And now,
after a year of pain and fear,
we hope the end of the pandemic is near.
When one day
all this becomes a thing of the past,
will the lesson be learned?
Will we remember
how important touch is,
how important a hug is,
how we are all equal in death
and that we should be equal
in life as well?
IZNENADNA OLUJA
Došla je neočekivano,
poput iznenadne oluje
i osvojila svijet
velikom brzinom.
Mislili smo
da je izmišljena,
onda, da neće stići do nas.
I stigla je poput tornada
uništavajući sve pred sobom.
Nije je briga
za ime, naciju ili religiju.
Ona ne bira koga će kositi.
U ovom ratu,
ona je na jednoj strani
a cijeli svijet na drugoj.
Nije lako boriti se
s nevidljivim i nepoznatim neprijateljem.
Ubija redom,
zabranjuje grljenje i druženje.
Svijet je ujedinjen
u ovoj neravnopravnoj borbi.
Mnogo je heroja,
ali i previše žrtava.
Čuje se molitva
na svim jezicima svijeta,
za sve žrtve,
za sve hrabre spasioce.
I sada,
nakon godine bola i straha,
nadamo se da je kraj pandemije blizu.
Kada jednog dana
sve ovo postane prošlost,
hoće li lekcija biti naučena?
Hoćemo li zapamtiti
koliko je važan dodir,
koliko je važan zagrljaj,
kako smo u smrti svi jednaki
i da bismo trebali biti jednaki
i u životu?
A LITTLE MORE TO LAST
Nights and days,
joys and sorrows,
birth and death,
gray and purple…
Everything spins in a circle,
goes and comes.
We are scared, excited,
tired, happy sometimes.
But,
no matter how hard
is the ride,
we don’t want
to get off that carousel.
We want to be a part of it,
a little more, a little more …
And no one knows
how much time he has left.
And no matter how uncertain it is,
we are surprised
by the stop
and we are unprepared
for the end.
We are thirsty
for another drop,
another moment,
before we are covered in dust,
before we are enveloped in silence,
A little more, a little more,
to last.
JOŠ MALO DA TRAJE
Noći i dani,
tuge i radosti,
rođenja i smrti,
siva i ružičasta…
Sve se ukrug vrti,
ode i dođe.
Uplašeni smo, ushićeni,
umorni, sretni ponekad.
Ali, koliko god
da je vožnja teška,
ne želimo sići
s te vrteške.
Želimo biti njen dio,
još malo, još malo…
A niko ne zna
koliko mu je
još vremena ostalo.
I koliko god neizvjesno bilo,
iznenadi nas stop
i nespremni smo za kraj.
Žedni smo još jednu kap,
još jedan tren,
prije nego što nas prah pokrije,
prije nego što nas tišina obavije,
još malo, još malo,
da traje.
WHEN WE MET
It was a long time ago,
yet the images are still clear in my head.
I wasn’t a rich girl,
but I bought expensive suede boots,
just because you said they were beautiful.
That winter the snow fell almost to the waist.
People in my area
don’t remember the colder winter.
I dress up and put a plastic bag on my feet
and put on the most beautiful boots in town.
And I’m rushing through the snow tunnels
because you’re waiting for me.
You take a frozen rose
out of the inside pocket of your jacket
and I become the happiest girl on the planet.
You didn’t know my feet were wet,
but you could feel my heart burning.
You held my hand
as we walked down the avenue.
It was a fierce winter when we met,
but my body burned until it melted,
those days when I was loved.
And every time it snows,
my love is reborn and grows.
I want to walk the snowy trails again,
with hand in hand, as with you then.
And I wouldn’t mind
if my feet were frozen now,
if I could get you to walk with me,
like it used to be.
But I don’t know how…
Even today, as they pour pearl flakes,
for one walk with you
I would do whatever it takes.
WHEN LOVE FINDS YOU
When love finds you,
you won’t even know
what happened to you.
Something long lost,
suddenly found itself.
And you’ll feel pain,
undefined, strong,
some restlessness
and butterflies in your stomach.
But you will not be sick
from that pain!
You will realize
how lucky you really are.
Suddenly,
You’ll know something
that isn’t taught in school.
You love someone,
and someone loves you.
What bothered you
would stop bothering you,
and some stupid insignificant little things
will get on your nerves terribly.
When love finds you,
it is a completely different state
that you will learn about
along the way
and for which prior knowledge
doesn’t help.
Because,
no matter how much you knew
about love before,
you are always a beginner there.
When love finds you,
you gain strong strength,
it seems that you will
easily overcome every obstacle.
When love finds you,
it will show you all its faces
and new names.
Her name is longing, insomnia, desire.
Her name is sugar and honey,
ice and fire,
poison and medicine.
And you will know,
no matter how much it hurts,
it is most beautiful
when you love
and when someone loves you.
For love pain,
love is a cure.
Be happy that you love,
because you are a human only then.
KAD TE LJUBAV NAĐE
Kad te ljubav nađe,
nećeš ni znati što te snašlo.
Nešto davno izgubljeno,
odjednom je samo sebe pronašlo.
I osjetit ćeš bol,
nedefinisanu, jaku,
nekakav nemir i leptiriće u stomaku.
Ali, od te boli nećeš biti bolesnik!
Shvatit ćeš koliki si, zapravo, sretnik.
Odjednom,
znat ćeš nešto što se ne uči u školi.
Ti nekoga voliš,
i neko tebe voli.
Što je smetalo,
prestat će da ti smeta,
a strašno će ti ići na živce
neke glupe beznačajne sitnice.
Kad te ljubav nađe,
to je sasvim drugo stanje
o kojem ćeš učiti u hodu
i za koje ti ne pomaže
prethodno znanje.
Jer, ma koliko otprije znao,
u ljubavi si uvijek početnik.
Kad te ljubav nađe,
snagu dobiješ jaku,
čini se da lako prebrodit ćeš
prepreku svaku.
Kad te ljubav nađe,
pokazat će ti sva svoja lica
i imena nova.
Ime joj je želja, žudnja, nesanica.
Ime joj je šećer i med,
vatra i led, otrov i lijek.
I znat ćeš,
ma koliko da boli,
najljepše je kad voliš
i kad neko tebe voli.
Za ljubavnu bol,
ljubav je lijek,
Budi sretan što voliš,
jer tek tada si čovjek.
WHEN LOVE FINDS YOU
When love finds you,
you won’t even know
what happened to you.
Something long lost,
suddenly found itself.
And you’ll feel pain,
undefined, strong,
some restlessness
and butterflies in your stomach.
But you will not be sick
from that pain!
You will realize
how lucky you really are.
Suddenly,
You’ll know something
that isn’t taught in school.
You love someone,
and someone loves you.
What bothered you
would stop bothering you,
and some stupid insignificant little things
will get on your nerves terribly.
When love finds you,
it is a completely different state
that you will learn about
along the way
and for which prior knowledge
doesn’t help.
Because,
no matter how much you knew
about love before,
you are always a beginner there.
When love finds you,
you gain strong strength,
it seems that you will
easily overcome every obstacle.
When love finds you,
it will show you all its faces
and new names.
Her name is longing, insomnia, desire.
Her name is sugar and honey,
ice and fire,
poison and medicine.
And you will know,
no matter how much it hurts,
it is most beautiful
when you love
and when someone loves you.
For love pain,
love is a cure.
Be happy that you love,
because you are a human only then.
KAD TE LJUBAV NAĐE
Kad te ljubav nađe,
nećeš ni znati što te snašlo.
Nešto davno izgubljeno,
odjednom je samo sebe pronašlo.
I osjetit ćeš bol,
nedefinisanu, jaku,
nekakav nemir i leptiriće u stomaku.
Ali, od te boli nećeš biti bolesnik!
Shvatit ćeš koliki si, zapravo, sretnik.
Odjednom,
znat ćeš nešto što se ne uči u školi.
Ti nekoga voliš,
i neko tebe voli.
Što je smetalo,
prestat će da ti smeta,
a strašno će ti ići na živce
neke glupe beznačajne sitnice.
Kad te ljubav nađe,
to je sasvim drugo stanje
o kojem ćeš učiti u hodu
i za koje ti ne pomaže
prethodno znanje.
Jer, ma koliko otprije znao,
u ljubavi si uvijek početnik.
Kad te ljubav nađe,
snagu dobiješ jaku,
čini se da lako prebrodit ćeš
prepreku svaku.
Kad te ljubav nađe,
pokazat će ti sva svoja lica
i imena nova.
Ime joj je želja, žudnja, nesanica.
Ime joj je šećer i med,
vatra i led, otrov i lijek.
I znat ćeš,
ma koliko da boli,
najljepše je kad voliš
i kad neko tebe voli.
Za ljubavnu bol,
ljubav je lijek,
Budi sretan što voliš,
jer tek tada si čovjek.
They’ll steal you
The sun creates comfort to you
with its warmth
while your soul rests on the beach.
I’m jealous of all the eyes
that look at you with lust.
I’m jealous of the sand
that got between your fingers.
The wave shamelessly
touches your skin everywhere.
With my shadow I’ll shield the sun
from falling on your face.
With hot kisses I’ll pick up all the drops
from your body.
From my hands
I’ll make a bed
in which you will
always be able to find peace.
I’m jealous of everything,
eyes, sun, waves, sand,
other people’s eyes …
Someone will steal you from me,
I’m afraid,
and I can’t help myself!
Oh, I love you so much, so much!
Let the only thing that warms you
be my breath,
Let the only thing that caresses you
be my touch.
KRADU MI TE
Sunce ti svojom toplinom ugodu stvara
dok se duša tvoja na plaži odmara.
Ljubomorna sam na sve oči
koje te s požudom gledaju.
Ljubomorna sam na pijesak
koji ti se zavlači između prstiju.
Talasi besramno
posvuda tijelo tvoje diraju.
Svojom sjenkom zaklonit ću sunce
da ne pada na tvoje lice.
Poljupcima vrelim pokupit ću
s tvoga tijela sve kapljice.
Od svojih ruku napravit ću ležaj
u kojem ćeš uvijek moći naći smiraj.
Ljubomorna sam na sve,
sunce, pijesak, talase, zrak,
na tuđe oči…
Hvata me strah
da mi te neko ne ukrade,
i tu mi nema pomoći!
Oh, toliko, toliko te volim!
Daj da moj dah
bude jedino što te grije,
daj da moj dodir
bude jedino što te miluje.
They’ll steal you
The sun creates comfort to you
with its warmth
while your soul rests on the beach.
I’m jealous of all the eyes
that look at you with lust.
I’m jealous of the sand
that got between your fingers.
The wave shamelessly
touches your skin everywhere.
With my shadow I’ll shield the sun
from falling on your face.
With hot kisses I’ll pick up all the drops
from your body.
From my hands
I’ll make a bed
in which you will
always be able to find peace.
I’m jealous of everything,
eyes, sun, waves, sand,
other people’s eyes …
Someone will steal you from me,
I’m afraid,
and I can’t help myself!
Oh, I love you so much, so much!
Let the only thing that warms you
be my breath,
Let the only thing that caresses you
be my touch.
BEAUTY
Beauty,
you’re the one everyone wants
to have for themselves,
to be their flower in a bouquet,
a brooch on their lapel,
a medal around their necks.
Beauty,
you’re the one that everyone is looking for
as a buried treasure,
as a ship looking for a port,
as a promised paradise.
Beauty,
you’re the prey of all hunters,
you’re a dream and an unfulfilled desire,
you’re a target to be hit.
Beauty,
it is not easy to be you!
You cannot escape anywhere,
There’s no place where you can hide.
Everyone wants you and that’s your fate.
Beauty,
as you flee and take refuge,
you fade and pass away.
If you surrender,
you’ll be like another
book they have already read.
What an absurdity!
You’ll be left alone someday!
Do you have a choice?
Does anyone hear your voice
tired of running away?
Love without an ugly word
Maybe we should break up
like all normal people,
arguing for days,
saying ugly words
that sting like a sword.
You would yell, I would cry
like most other women.
After days, maybe longer,
I would be angry
and look for reasons
why I shouldn’t love you.
Thus,
we parted
with a long and tender embrace,
without quarrel and tears,
in silence.
You had to leave,
I knew you had to leave.
And that is it.
Now
I have no reason to hate you,
to think or say bad things.
I just know
I love you even more.
We will meet,
again,
one day,
one way or another.
And our hearts will dance
because they will know
how happy we are
to have us.
Isn’t that the love
that everyone wants to experience,
to taste?
Love without an ugly word ever.
Ljubav bez ružne riječi
Možda smo trebali prekinuti
kao i svi normalno ljudi,
svađali se danima,
govorili ružne riječi
koje bodu poput mača.
Ti bi se derao, ja bih plakala
kao većina drugih žena.
Poslije bih danima, možda i duže,
bila ljuta
i tražila razloge zbog kojih
i ne treba da te volim.
Ovako,
rastasmo se uz dug i nježan zagrljaj,
bez svađe i suza,
u tišini.
Ti si morao otići,
ja sam znala da moraš da odeš.
I to je to.
Sad
nemam razloga da te mrzim,
da mislim ili govorim loše stvari.
Samo znam da te još više volim.
Srest ćemo se,
opet,
jednoga dana,
na ovaj ili onaj način.
I naša srca će zaigrati
jer bilo je lijepo imati nas.
Zar nije to
ljubav koju svi žele doživjeti, okusiti?
Ljubav bez ružne riječi ikada.
YOU ARE NOT THE ONE I STILL LOVE
You’re not the one I still love.
But I love,
and I will die loving,
the image of you I loved.
It’s a picture of a wide-eyed man,
a man of the world.
It’s a picture of a man
who isn’t ashamed to love
or be romantic.
A man who pays gallantly,
who is creative,
versatile and hardworking.
It isn’t an old nagger
who is bothered by every smell,
who eats healthily.
I love a man who cooks well
and eats everything
our ancestors have always eaten.
The image of the man I love
is the image of a man
who doesn’t talk about
his conquering successes as a seducer,
who just smiles at provocative questions
and answers nothing.
He is a man who isn’t afraid
of other people’s opinions,
makes his own decisions
and is ready to bear the consequences.
It’s a man who doesn’t run away
and doesn’t hide.
And he never retreats like a coward.
You’re not the man I love.
I love the picture of you I loved.
It is a unique creation of inestimable value.
It is an image
for which it is impossible to reproduce.
NISI TI TAJ KOJEG JOŠ VOLIM
Nisi ti taj kojeg još volim.
Ali volim
i umrijet ću voleći
sliku tebe kojeg sam voljela.
To je slika muškarca širokih pogleda,
svjetskog čovjeka.
To je slika muškarca
koji se ne stidi voljeti
niti biti romantičan.
Muškarac koji plaća galantno,
koji je kreativan,
svestran i vrijedan.
Nije to staro džangizalo
kojem smeta svaki miris,
koji se zdravo hrani.
Volim muškarca
koji dobro kuha
i jede sve što su jeli oduvijek i naši preci.
Slika čovjeka kojeg volim,
slika je muškarca
koji ne priča
o svojim osvajačkim uspjesima zavodnika,
koji se na provokativna pitanja samo nasmiješi
i ništa ne odgovori.
To je muškarac
koji se ne plaši tuđeg mišljenja,
svoje odluke donosi sam
i spreman je podnijeti i posljedice.
To je muškarac koji ne bježi i ne krije se.
I nikad se ne povlači kao kukavica.
Nisi ti taj čovjek kojeg volim.
Ja volim sliku o tebi kojeg sam voljela.
To je unikatna tvorevina neprocjenjive vrijednosti.
To je slika za koju je nemoguće
uraditi reprodukciju.
JU NUK JENI NJNE I DUA DUA, Rustem Mati
Ju nuk jeni ai që akoma e dua.
Por unë dua,
dhe do të vdes duke dashur,
imazhin e jush e kam dashur.
Ashtë një fotografi e një burri me sy të gjerë,
një njeri i botës.
Shtë një fotografi e një burri
i cili nuk ka turp të dashurojë
ose të jetë romantik.
Një burrë që paguan me kot,
kush eshte krijues,
i gjithanshëm dhe punëtor.
Nuk është një kapak i vjetër
që mërzitet nga çdo erë,
që ha shëndetshëm.
Unë e dua një njeri që gatuan mirë
dhe ha gjithçka
paraardhësit tanë kanë ngrënë gjithmonë.
Imazhi i burrit që dua
është imazhi i një burri
kush nuk flet
sukseset e tij pushtuese si joshëse,
i cili thjesht buzëqesh në pyetje provokuese
dhe nuk përgjigjet asgjë.
Ai është një njeri që nuk ka frikë
e mendimeve të njerëzve të tjerë,
merr vendimet e veta
dhe është e gatshme të sjellë pasojat.
Ashtë një njeri që nuk ik
dhe nuk fshihet.
Dhe ai nuk tërhiqet kurrë si një frikacak.
Ju nuk jeni njeriu që unë dua.
Unë e dua foton e jush që kam dashur.
Shtë një krijim unik i vlerës së paçmueshme.
Shtë një imazh
për të cilat është e pamundur të riprodhohet.
NISI TI TAJ KOJEG JOŠ VOLIM
Nisi ti taj kojeg još volim.
Ali volim
i umrijet ću voleći
sliku tebe kojeg sam voljela.
To je slika muškarca širokih pogleda,
svjetskog čovjeka.
To je slika muškarca
koji se ne stidi voljeti
niti biti romantičan.
Muškarac koji plaća galantno,
koji je kreativan,
svestran i vrijedan.
Nije to staro džangizalo
kojem smeta svaki miris,
koji se zdravo hrani.
Volim muškarca
koji dobro kuha
i jede sve što su jeli oduvijek i naši preci.
Slika čovjeka kojeg volim,
slika je muškarca
koji ne priča
o svojim osvajačkim uspjesima zavodnika,
koji se na provokativna pitanja samo nasmiješi
i ništa ne odgovori.
To je muškarac
koji se ne plaši tuđeg mišljenja,
svoje odluke donosi sam
i spreman je podnijeti i posljedice.
To je muškarac koji ne bježi i ne krije se.
I nikad se ne povlači kao kukavica.
Nisi ti taj čovjek kojeg volim.
Ja volim sliku o tebi kojeg sam voljela.
To je unikatna tvorevina neprocjenjive vrijednosti.
To je slika za koju je nemoguće
uraditi reprodukciju.
