Pjesma najmanjem čovjeku

Pjesma najmanjem čovjeku

Negdje si, negdje, malen i pognut,

ti najmanji na cijelom svijetu.

Pusti sad pozdrav i prekini svoj put,

stope tvoje da taknem svojim čelom.

Ah, ja znam da i vrane mogu

iz usta ti iščupati jedini zalogaj.

A dječurlija te vuče za nogu,

kad prođeš kroz seoski neki kraj.

Umoran zaspiš li koji put u hladu,

od koprive vijenac ti oviju oko glave,

od kudjelje namjeste ti bradu.

I po jedan čičak na rame ti stave.

Pritaje se i slamkom te milo

golicaju po nozi, jer ti si uvijek bos.

Ili tvom dahu prinesu leptirovo krilo.

Dišući ti ga uvučeš u nos.

U šaku ti zadjenu kukuruzni klip,

i zaigraju uz viku sve jaču,

pa onda veselo, džip, džip,

kao preko panja preko tebe skaču.

Ustaješ mirno i uzimaš torbak,

i šešir, koji ti je dao neko.

Gone te, gone u korak,

dok te nestane za žitom, daleko.

Poem to the Smallest Man

You exist, somewhere, small and bending,

You – the smallest man in the whole world.

Forget the greeting and break your wandering,

So I can touch your feet with my forehead.

Oh, I know that even crows can

Tear off from your mouth a bite.

And children drag your leg, man

When you pass by a countryside site.

If tired once you drowse in the shade,

They wrap around your head nettles.

And use the hemp to make you a beard,

And put burdocks on your shoulders.

Sneaky, they gently with straws

Tickle your feet that are always bare.

Or put a butterfly wing under your nose,

That gets sucked in when you inhale air.

Inside your palm they stick a corn clip,

And dance with the noise building up,

Then joyfully with yip, yip, yip

Like over a log, over you they jump.

You get up quietly picking up your sack,

And an old hat given to you along the way.

They chase you closely along your track,

Till you vanish behind a wheat field, far away.

(translated by Božica Cvjetković)