LJUBINKO JELĆ,

LJUBINKO JELIĆ

MY LONGING

You have always been my longing,

my secret desire, here in time.

You were always the one who makes me joyful.

Without you, I was just a shade.

There was no one to keep me safe.

You don’t know that I live to kiss you

and take care of you as long as you breathe.

You don’t know I keep your every breath

with which I write.

I love from afar and with memories

I devastate someone else’s home.

And I’ve been waiting for someone

with your name.

And no one knows how long it lasted in this time,

without us, without you.

I love you.

*******

MY LOVE,

Another melancholy eve arrives over the hills,

and the wind spools apparitions,

all sorrow in a gloomy and mystical coil.

I am with you, with eyes wide open,

above all dark abysses,

assured that your love is watching over me

and drawing me closer.

When the evening wind subsides,

I hear its verses dedicated to the cloud.

In the night of full moon,

like a tree on the brim of an ashy field,

I resist the perseverance of loneliness,

hoping you are all mine.

I kiss you and I love these nights

while I hold your hand and wait for the dawn

to open the door for you.

I love you.

******

MY LOVE

You are the purpose of a new morn,

when the sun announces the light to the hill.

You are weather more beautiful

than wondering that burns joy inevitable.

You are the meaning of new faith

in constancy of birth and my courage

to take a step for what seems impossible.

You are the meaning of a coming wave

that holds a time more beautiful.

You are the keyhole of my soul,

in which locked lie doubts of the enchanted

merging of our blood with the words given before God.

I love you.

TRNASLATE, BOJAN BELIĆ

LJUBINKO JELĆ,

Ljubinko Jelić was born in 1932 in the village of Šarani, close to Gornji Milanovac. He graduated from the Faculty of Economy in Belgrade. For some time he lived in Munich. He works in construction and design, and ocasionally publishing. So far he published: Letters to my love, Below the burning hammers, Wastefield, Sower’s gentleness, the Shine of the miraculous, Ravager before the door, The Magic ring, Above-Below, Closer to the glacier, Architect’s phonebook, Bitter seed, On the edge of the ash field, Building in, Tea for the neighbor, Around the dreamy nest, On another heaven, Angel in a greenhouse, Architect’s diary, Building and illusions, Graceful monophony, Collected poems in four books, Epistles of love. His works have been translated into German, Romanian, Italian, English, Macedonian, Russian and Check and can be found in several anthologies of Serbian poetry. He has been awarded and is a member of Serbian Literary Society and European Academy for Culture and Art. The awards he received include: Award of Serbian Literary Society for life’s work; “Ivo Andric” Academy’s International award for life’s work; Recognition of Cultural-educational community of Belgrade for exceptional contribution to the city of Belgrade; “Recognition of Morava” for total contribution to creativity in poetry and award of the Society of Playwrights for total contribution to the culture of Serbia. He lives and works in Belgrade.