Two Poems by Sandrijela Kasagić - Translated by Petar Penda from Serbian/Cyrillic into English

 

PASSING LEVELS

 

My life is passing levels.

 

From the ground to the second floor and then back.

From the office to the toilet.

From a shop to a shopping centre.

From a small town to a big city.

From a stream to an ocean.

From a basic level to advanced learning.

From nine to forty-nine.

 

From a friend to a hateful enemy.

From big love to bitter hate.

From lots of talking to utter silence.

From a full house to an empty room.

 

Now I am at a middle level.

Sometimes I look forward to the last one.

 

And I surely wouldn't go through them again.

 

DEPARTURES

 

The Vronskys depart

Loves and friendship depart

The train passes by

Winter

Moscow, Belgrade

 

 

We're supposed to face ourselves

Anywhere, anytime

With no one by our side.

 

Translated by Petar Penda

 

 

The original version in Serbian is written in cyrillic:

 

ОДЛАСЦИ

Одлазе Вронскији

Одлазе љубави и пријатељства

Пролази воз

Зима

Москва, Београд

 

Треба се суочити са собом сваки дан

Било где, било када,

Без икога поред.

 

 

ПРЕЛАЗАК НИВОА

 

Мој живот је прелазак нивоа.

 

Од приземља до другог спрата па назад.

Од канцеларије до тоалета.

Од продавнице до шопинг центра.

Од малог града до метрополе.

Од потока до океана.

Од основног нивоа до напредног учења.

Од девет до четрдесет девет.

 

Од пријатеља до мрског непријатеља.

Од велике љубави до огромне мржње.

Од велике приче до потпуне тишине.

Од пуне куће до празне собе.

 

Тренутно сам на средњем нивоу.

Понекад се радујем последњем. 

 

И, вала, не бих поново.

Sandrijela Kasagić (1973) teaches the Serbian language at the Grammar School in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She has published several scholarly papers on syntax and stylistics, and writes short stories and poetry. The translation of her poetry was published in "Fevers of the Mind". She is currently working

on her first collection of poetry to be published in 2022.

Petar Penda - University Professor of English and American literature, poet and translator.