Krvava Bajka (A Bloody Fairytale)

Bilo je to u zemlji seljaka,

Na brdovitom Balkanu dalekome,

Mučeničkom smrću, tihog jeka,

Četa đaka umrla jednoga.

Iste godine svi su rođeni,

Školski dani im isti teku,

Na svečanosti svi vođeni,

Od istih bolesti pelcovani.

Pedeset i pet minuta pre,

Smrtnog časa, tih i malić,

Sedeli su u đačkoj klupi,

Rešavali zadatke složeni.

Koliko može putnik pješice,

Misli pune brojeva svima,

Sveske pune dvojki, petica,

I snova što stiskaju dno džepa.

Misli su pune istih tajni,

Rodoljubivih, ljubavnih sneva,

Svrha, nada i života san,

Mislili su da dugo će trčati.

Ceo red dečaka za ruke se drži,

Sa poslednjeg časa polako kreću,

Na streljanje mirno kao senke,

Smrt im ništa nije značila.

Drugovi jednog časa svi,

Uzneseni u večno boravište,

Tihim putem bez straha,

Njihova priča večno traje.

English Translation (by Sarah O’Keeffe)

It was a land of peasants' toil,

Amid the Balkans' hills and soil,

A troop of schoolchildren brave and small,

Died as martyrs, one and all.

Born the same year, with days aligned,

Their school hours closely intertwined,

Together marched to festivals bright,

Vaccinated, shared each plight.

Fifty-five minutes before fate's hand,

At desks they sat, a quiet band,

Solving tasks with youthful zest:

“How far can one walk on foot, the test...”

Their minds were full of numbers clear,

Notebooks held grades, some severe—

Countless A’s, and F's as well,

Dreams and secrets none could tell.

Patriotic hopes, loves held tight,

Hidden deep within pockets’ light,

They thought their race would long extend,

Beneath the blue sky without end.

Hand in hand, the boys did go,

From last school bell to death’s shadow,

Calmly, as if death were naught,

To eternal rest their souls were brought.

In one day, their lives did cease,

Yet in our hearts, their memories increase,

A tale of youth and courage true,

In a land where mountains view.

--- Desanka Maksimović 

# About the Poem This powerful and heartbreaking poem by Desanka Maksimović commemorates the tragic massacre of schoolchildren and civilians perpetrated by Nazi forces in Kragujevac, Serbia, during World War II (October 1941).

WHO'S SINGIN' OVER THERE? ( Ko to tamo peva)

The sun is rising
On a Saturday
The day is breaking
From the distance
Poor folk from all around
Await for the sun's ray
Off to Belgrade,
off to Belgrade
By a Krstich bus,
by a Krstich bus
The people are ready to leave
Eager to set on a journey
But luck they have not
I'm unfortunate
I was born that way
I sing to sing
my pain away
Dear mother, how I wish
That all this was
only a dream.
If these little roses
Could hear the pain of my heart
They would shed a tear or two
To soothe my sorrow.
They would shed a tear or two
To soothe my sorrow.

The song "Ko to tamo peva" (Who’s Singin' Over There?) holds significant cultural and historical value, especially in the context of Yugoslavia during the early 1940s. It is both a folk song and a key musical element in the acclaimed Yugoslav film of the same name, which depicts a journey made by a diverse group of passengers on the eve of Yugoslavia's invasion during World War II.

To hear never-heard sounds

To hear never-heard sounds,
To see never-seen colors and shapes,
To try to understand the imperceptible
Power pervading the world;
To fly and find pure ethereal substances
That are not of matter
But of that invisible soul pervading reality.
To hear another soul and to whisper to another soul;
To be a lantern in the darkness
Or an umbrella in a stormy day;
To feel much more than know.
To be the eyes of an eagle, slope of a mountain;
To be a wave understanding the influence of the moon;
To be a tree and read the memory of the leaves;
To be an insignificant pedestrian on the streets
Of crazy cities watching, watching, and watching.
To be a smile on the face of a woman
And shine in her memory
As a moment saved without planning.

--- Dejan Stojanovic