Jasmina Hanjalić

 

 

(Bosnia-Herzegovina)

 

 

 

THE  TRUTH ABOUT  LOVE 

 

To love devotedly

The devoted one

Like the silk that warms the shadow

And chills the warmth.

 

To love persistantly

The persistant one

Like the winter nest

That still has a memory of its swallows.

 

To love faithfully

The faithful one

To stand the flame of temptation

To stand the fear from transency.

 

To love sincerely

The sincere one

For no truth lies in the fake wine

And without the truth time loses hope.

 

To love liberally

The liberated one

Without doubt, without intention and limit

But always having the bags packed.

 

 

(Translated by Ana Stjelja)

 

 

 

THE QUINCE TREE

 

This morning Father cut down the quince tree,

planted on my first day of school.

 

It was the only remaining tree

in our courtyard.

 

(He’d cut down the rest

when they’d stopped producing fruit.)

 

Up until last year, you could’vefelt its breathing

through the fragrance of the quinceslined up on top of the cupboard.

 

But this morning Father cut down

this barren friend of mine.

 

Only a hollow stump is now left of it,

eaten up from inside by ants.

 

And look, these same ants

are now rushing towards my feet.

 

 

Translated by JasnaFurtinger ; editing of the translation by Kristin Muraki

 

 

 

TRANSIT CEMETERY ALIFAKOVAC

 

Wayfarer, do you have the courage to atone

foryour pride, anger and crude words?

 

Reach out to a stranger;

embrace those on the other side!

 

Do you have the wisdom to replenishyourself

by bestowing upon others?

 

Frame with rocks all that is ephemeral;

before the great departure, leave an indelible mark!

 

Try to understand; absolve yourself;

touch the silence of the grave and welcome the rain

that patters over the hard earth.

 

Wayfarer, take the path of Alifakovac,

and among the carved white headstones

you shall find the beginning and the end of everything.

 

 

 Translated by JasnaFurtinger ; editing of the translation by Kristin Muraki

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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BIO

 

Jasmina  Hanjalic

 

Born in 1963 in Pec; Primary school, High school and Faculty of Medicine graduated in Sarajevo, where she lives and works as medical doctor.
Writes a poetry, short storyes and reviews

 

Published

1, Poems collection: “All in one, one in all” (VAT, 2011)
2, “TURNED INTO THE STONE” (ZALIHICA, 2013)
3, “Stories in white” (Dobra knjiga, 2014)

 

Prizes:

1, The prize from Foundation of Literature Sarajevo for 2013.)
2, The prize “Anka Topic” 2014
3, “Creativity prize”  fondation Naji Naaman, Libanon 2014.
4, The Third prize in the competition BNVD for the poem dedicated to the genocide in Srebrenica, 2015.
5, The First prize for poem on festival “The flower of Ukrina” Prljaca 2016
6, The First prize for poem on festival “Grah za ILIJU LADINA” 2015.
7, The first prize „Goran Bujic“ from Croatian writers association for 2016.

 

web: http://jasminahanjalic.wordpress.com/