Snow In Your Shoes
Sneg u cipelama
Ne gradi se kuća na zbirkama escajga
mada koja kašika više
ponekad dobro dođe.
Ne gradi se kuća na novim zavesama
mada drugačije poglede
s vremena na vreme
treba zakloniti novim platnom.
Da bi dom bio dom, između ostalog
treba ti i mnogo toga
čega bi se unapred
odrekao, vrlo rado.
Slušaj šta kažu Eskimi:
da bi sagradio dobar iglo
godinama moraš da nosiš
sneg u cipelama.
I špenadlu, zaboravljenu
u okovratniku kaputa,
blizu žile kucavice.
Snow In Your Shoes
One does not build a house collecting cutlery
even though a few extra spoons
come in handy sometimes.
One does not build a house from new curtains
even though different views
from time to time
should be shielded by new cloth.
For a home to be a home, among other things
you need a lot of things
you would gladly renounce
in advance.
Listen to what Eskimos say:
to build a good igloo,
for years you have to carry
snow in your shoes.
And a safety pin, forgotten
in your coat collar,
near the jugular.
(Translated by Novica Petrović)
NOTE: This poem first appeared in the anthology New European Poets (Graywolf P).