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Robert Elsie
Albanian Literature

Albanian Authors

 

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Our word

You slept in our pierced bone
You wove legends and temples you toppled

Bloodstained bridge between ashes and light
Rebel child of the heart, bread and salt

Adorned bride with girlish dreams
Veil never torn in white kullas

You have threaded your name through yellow rings
Your love has been hunted with bow and arrow

Like the full moon you are born in every love
And build your home in every heart

Crimson butterfly in our bone
We have immured you as a song extracted from our flesh.

[Fjala jonë, translated from the Albanian by Robert Elsie and first published in English in An elusive eagle soars, Anthology of modern Albanian poetry, London: Forest Books 1993, p. 106]

 

When...

When we dream of the dead
They say it will rain,
When we dream of heroes
Our bones begin to grow.

[Kur..., from the volume Balada e fshehur, Prishtina 1970, translated from the Albanian by Robert Elsie and first published in English in An elusive eagle soars, Anthology of modern Albanian poetry, London: Forest Books 1993, p. 107]

 

Obstinate verse

It strives to be born
It has no head.

If it came out of another head
It would forget
The pain which nourishes it.

If it came out without a head
They would give it a number
Instead of a name.

A number which people
Would add and subtract
Multiply and divide
Always mistakenly.

[Vargu kryeneç, from the volume Etje, Prishtina 1973, translated from the Albanian by Robert Elsie and first published in English in An elusive eagle soars, Anthology of modern Albanian poetry, London: Forest Books 1993, p. 108]

 

Between

Between stone and stone
Bread.
Between bread and bread
Word.
Between word and word
Thirst.
Between thirst and thirst
Flower.
Between flower and flower
Name.
Between name and name
Bridge.
Who stole the hills?

[Ndërmjet, from the volume Etje, Prishtina 1973, translated from the Albanian by Robert Elsie and first published in English in An elusive eagle soars, Anthology of modern Albanian poetry, London: Forest Books 1993, p. 109]

 

The dog

He chases after lightning
The rain cannot drench him

He will find his friend

He circles the black tree
Stone-still in his own shadow

He will find his friend

A bat swoops
To touch his head

He will find his friend

[Qeni, translated from the Albanian by Robert Elsie and first published in English in An elusive eagle soars, Anthology of modern Albanian poetry, London: Forest Books 1993, p. 110]