Sneg u cipelama

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).

Snow in the shoes

You do not build the house on cuttlery collections

even if an extra spoon or two

come in handy sometimes.

You do not build the house on new curtains

even if different views

from time to time

should be covered  with a new cloth.

For a home to be a home, among others,

you need a lot of things

you would rather relinquish

in advance, quite gladly.

Hear what the Eskimoes say:

To build a good Igloo

for years, you have to carry

snow in your shoes.

And a head pin, forgotten

in the collar of your coat

near to the jugular.


(Translated by Slobodan Cekić)
Za Meju ♥