Krvava bajka
Krvava bajka
Bilo je to u nekoj zemlji seljaka
na brdovitom balkanu,
umrla je mucenickom smrcu
ceta djaka
u jednom danu.
Iste su godine
svi bili rodjeni,
isti su im tekli skolski dani,
na iste svecanosti
zajedno su vodjeni,
od istih bolesti svi pelcovani,
i svi umrli u istom danu.
Bilo je to u nekoj zemlji seljaka
na brdovitom Balkanu,
umrla je mucenickom smrcu
ceta djaka
u jednom danu.
A pedeset i pet minuta
pre smrtnog trena
sedela je u djackoj klupi
ceta malena
i iste zadatke teske
resavala: koliko moze
putnik ako ide peske...
i tako redom.
Misli su im bile pune
istih brojki
i po sveskama u skolskoj torbi
besmislenih lezalo bezbroj
petica i dvojki.
Pregrst istih snova
i istih tajni
rodoljubivih i ljubavnih
stiskalo se u dnu dzepova.
I cinilo se svakom
da ce dugo,
da ce vrlo dugo
trcati ispod svoda plava
dok sve zadatke na svetu
ne posvrsava.
Bilo je to u nekoj zemlji seljaka
na brdovitom Balkanu,
umrla je junačkom smrcu
ceta djaka
u istom danu.
Decaka redova celi
uzeli su se za ruke
i sa skolskog zadnjeg casa
na streljanje posli mirno
kao da smrt nije nista.
Drugova redovi celi
istog casa se uzneli
do vecnog boravista.
Bloody Fairy Tale
It happened in a land of farmers on
hilly Balkan
far, far away;
a troop of students
died martyred
on one single day.
They were all born
in the same year.
For all of them, the school days were the same:
They were all taken
to the same festivals with cheer,
they were all vaccinated
until the last name,
and they all died on the same day.
It happened in a land of farmers on
hilly Balkan
far, far away;
a troop of students
died martyred
in one single day.
And only fifty-five minutes
prior the death moment,
a small troop of fidgets
sat beside their school desks
solving the same hard math quest:
“If a traveler goes by foot,
how much time he needs to rest...”
and so on.
Their thoughts were filled
with same figures and tags
and there was a countless amount
of senseless As and Fs
in their notebooks and in their bags.
They were squeezing
a whole bunch of secrets that mattered--
either patriotic or a love letter--
on the bottom of their pockets.
And everyone of them supposed
that he would for a long time,
for a very, very long time
run under the blue sky--
until all math quests on the world
were done and gone by.
It happened in a land of farmers on
hilly Balkan
far, far away;
a troop of students
died martyred
on the same day.
Whole rows of boys
took each other’s hands
and leaving the last school class
went to the execution quietly,
as the death was nothing but a smile.
All friends in rows were,
at the same moment,
lifted up to the eternal domicile.
(Translation: Dragana Konstantinovic)
A Bloody Fairy-tale
It came to pass in a land of peasants
in the hills of the Balkans
a martyr’s death was suffered by
a troop of pupils
in just twenty four hours.
They were all born
in the same year
their timetables were the same shape and size
they were all taken
to the same ceremonies
‘gainst the same maladies immunized
and all died on the same day.
It came to pass in a land of peasants
in the hills of the Balkans
a martyr’s death was suffered by
a troop of pupils
in just twenty four hours.
And just fifty five minutes
before the deathly toll
the tiny troop was sitting
at their desks in their rows
wrestling with the brain
exercises: from two stations
leave two trains...
and so it goes.
Their thoughts were full of
the same mysteries
and senselessly scattered
around the benches
were A’s and D’s.
Handfulls of shared dreams
and shared secrets
patriotic and romantic
were clenched tightly in their fists.
And each imagined
that for a long time,
for a really long time
they would run ‘neath the canopy blue
‘til all the exercises in the world
were through.
It came to pass in a land of peasants
in the hills of the Balkans
a hero's death was suffered by
a troop of pupils
in just twenty four hours.
Entire rows of boys
took each other by the hand
and from the last class at school
went calmly to their executions
as if death was nothing.
Entire rows of friends
in the same instant rose
to an eternal dwelling.
(Translated by Pavle Ninković)
A Bloody Fairytale
It was in a land of peasants
in the mountainous Balkans,
a company of schoolchildren
died a martyr's death
in one day.
They were all born
in the same year
their school days passed the same
taken together
to the same festivities,
vaccinated against the same diseases,
and all died on the same day.
It was in a land of peasants
in the mountainous Balkans,
a company schoolchildren
died a martyr's death
in one day.
And fifty-five minutes
before the moment of death
the company of small ones
sat at its desk
and the same difficult assignments
they solved: how far can a
traveler go if he is on foot...
and so on.
Their thoughts were full
of the same numbers
and throughout their notebooks in school bags
lay an infinite number
of senseless A's and F's.
A pile of the same dreams
and the same secrets
patriotic and romantic
they clenched in the depths of their pockets.
and it seemed to everyone
that they will run
for a long time beneath the blue arch
until all the assignments in the world
are completed.
It was in a land of peasants
in the mountainous Balkans,
a company of small ones
died a martyr's death
in one day.
Whole rows of boys
took each other by the hand
and from their last class
went peacefully to slaughter
as if death was nothing.
Whole lines of friends
ascended at the same moment
to their eternal residence.
(Translated by © 1999 Sarah O'Keeffe)
TALE OF VICTIMS
It was in a land of farmers
on the mountainous Balkan,
where troops of children died
martyr death
in one day.
They all were born
in the same year,
their school days were flowing similarly,
they participated
the same ceremonies,
they caught the same diseases,
and they all died on the same day.
It was in a land of farmers
on the mountainous Balkan,
where troops of children
died in heroic way
on the same day.
And fifty-five minutes
before the mortal moment
the whole group of children
were sitting in the school bench
and were solving
the same tasks difficult tasks,
And how is it possible that
they are going now in such queue.
They had much thoughts
and their notebooks in the school bags
useless there were countless
fives and twos. (= school marks)
They had the same dreams
and same secrets,
patriotic ones and loving ones,
same things in their pockets.
And it seemed to everybody
that they will run
under the blue sky
for long,very long time
until all tasks in the world
they will solve.
It was in a land of farmers
on the mountainous Balkan,
where troops of children
died in heroic way
on the same day.
And a row of children
holding the hands of each other,
from the last schol lesson
went to the execution, such peaceful
as the death were nothing.
And a row of friends
in the same hour
were sent to eternal rest.
VÉRES MESE
A hegyvölgyes Balkánon,
Lankás, termékeny tájon,
Kisiskolás gyerekek
Mártírhalált szenvedtek
Egy napon.
Mind egy évben születtek,
Iskolás napjaik hasonlóan teltek,
Az ünnepeken együtt szerepeltek,
S ugyanazon betegségekbe estek,
S meghaltak ugyanazon a napon.
A hegyvölgyes Balkánon,
Lankás, termékeny tájon,
Kisiskolás gyerekek
Hősi halált szenvedtek
Egy napon.
Egy órával a végzetes perc előtt,
Mindnyájan a padban ültek,
Nehéz feladatokon töprengtek,
S aztán hihetetlen módon
Egy sorban terelték ki őket.
Fejükben a sok jó ötlet,
Táskájukban az üzenőfüzet,
Ötösök és kettesek,
Mind feleslegesek lettek.
Álmaik és rejtett titkaik,
Hazafias és kedves gondolataik,
Zsebük mélyen rejlő kis tárgyak
Most már senkinek nem hasznosak.
S mindenki azt hitte,
Hogy még sokáig, örökre,
Futkoshatnak a kék ég alatt,
Míg a világ összes feladatát
Meg nem oldják.
A hegyvölgyes Balkánon,
Lankás, termékeny tájon,
Kisiskolás gyerekek
Hősi halált szenvedtek
Egy napon.
A gyerekek hosszú sorban,
Egymásba kapaszkodva,
Az utolsó tanóráról elindultak,
S békésen a halálba vonultak.
És a kis barátok mindnyájan,
Ugyanabban az órában
Örök pihenőre tértek.
Кровавая сказка (отрывок)
Это случилось в одном государстве балканском —
в горном, крестьянском.
Горькое там приключилось злосчастье
с группой ребят —
целым классом пали они в одночасье
смертью героев.
Все они были ровесники,
все — одногодки.
Вместе учились и вместе играли,
хором стихи наизусть повторяли.
Вместе ходили к врачам на прививки.
Все у них общее было:
уроки, болезни, привычки.
Вместе они и погибли.
. . .
Это случилось в одном государстве балканском —
в горном, крестьянском.
Горькое там приключилось злосчастье
с группой ребят —
целым классом пали они в одночасье
смертью героев.
За руки взявшись,
пошли они на смерть рядами.
Самые слабые дети и те не рыдали.
После уроков,
сложив аккуратно тетрадки,
шли на расстрел они поступью твердой
в полном порядке,
прямо и гордо.
За руки взявшись
прямо под пули
Эти ребята навстречу бессмертью шагнули.
~ КОНЕЦ ~
____
«Зеленый витязь». — Москва. Детская литература, 1977.