Slaboca (Frailty)

by Tin Ujević (1891 – 1955)

Po ovoj magli, ovoj kii –
o pjano srce, ne uzdii.

Ti ljubilo si uzaludu,
a sada ite rodnu grudu,

i tvoja enja, vapaj roba,
trai odnekud pokoj groba.

– Tu u skoro da izdahnem,
tu u skoro da usahnem,

na naem plavom, plavom valu,
na naem bijelom, bijelom alu;

i sve u nai to sam trebo
pod tvojim svodom, Sveto Nebo,

plaveti sunca i vedrine
nad zemljom stare domovine.

I found a translation here, along with several of the Kolajna poems.

In this mist, in this rain –
Oh drunken heart, don’t drown in pain…

Books of Croatian poetry that have been translated into English are listed here (see section G).

I like the title of a book by Slavko Mihalić: Orchard of Black Apples, but I have not had much luck finding a copy. I also wonder if it could also be interpreted as Bad Apples? Then again, it seems there is a Black Twig Apple in the US that offers a very tart flavor and “gets better the longer you keep it”.

Hmmm, a very poetic-sounding apple indeed, not to mention it was widely known in the Eastern US during the early 19th Century and has even been called President Andrew Jackson’s favorite variety.

A list of other “black” varieties are listed here, including the “Black Spy”.

I know I’m taking this all to literally, but can you imagine an Orchard of Black Spies?