From: sk@sunbim.be (Sasa Konecni)
Subject: THE TOBACCO-GATHERERS by Kosta Ratsin
Followup-To:  rec.arts.poems, soc.culture.yugoslavia, soc.culture.europe
Originator: sk@groo
Organization: BIM sa/nv
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 92 08:10:58 GMT



Due to readers request we post both the original macedonian version and 
the english translation. Please, Enjoy it !!!!!!!!!

         THE TOBACCO-GATHERERS                  TUTUNOBERACHITE
                         by Kosta Ratsin

 {Kosta Ratsin is one of the most prominent Macedonian poets and
revolutionaries between the two world wars. He was born in Veles
(central Macedonia) in 1908 and died in 1943. This is an English
translation of a song from his beautiful versus collection 
"White Dawns" printed originally on Macedonian language in 1939 
in Samobor (Croatia).}



On cold scales with bronze they weigh it-     Na kantar studen so tuch go merat
but can they gauge its weight-                a mozhat li da go izmerat
our tobacco, our troubles,                    nashiov tutun - nashava maka
our salty sweat!                              nashava solena pot!

From the dark dim dawns of summer mornings    Od temni zori na utrini letni
up to the godless time of winter evenings     do nikoa doba na vecheri zimni
greedily it drinks of our sorrow,             toj gladno pie tagata nasha
our sweat, our blood and our strength.        i potta i krvta i snagata ni.
The yellow-gold makes faces pale              Zholt - zholti pravi licata bledni
and brings a yellow guest into out breast.    i zholta gostinka u gradite nosi.

On dew-laden mornings in the first dawn       Po utrini rosni, po mugrite presni
bowed low in the fields                       navedeni nichkum po polinja rodni 
listlessly we gather it in.                   zachmaeni nie go bereme.
Pick leaf by leaf                             List po list kini
string leaf by leaf                           list po list nizhi
turn leaf by leaf over and press down,        list po list prevrtuj, pritiskaj,
line leaf by leaf gently, sadly               list po list milno, tagovno redi
on the long string of beads of sweat          i na dolga niza od kapki pot
hope with an oath and green fury              i nadezh so kletva i zelena jad,
with hard stares from cloudy eyes             so korav pogled na ochite matni
at the soft leaves all yellow gold            po krevkite lisja zholtozlatni
a bitter tale of a life accursed              prikaska gorka na zhivot klet
string on so, soundlessly but clear.          nanizhi bezglasna a taka jasna.

Don't you know this ?                         Ta ne znaesh li?

The day is come for the weighing-up.          Denot li dojde toj da se meri -
There is no gauge meet, it burrows in the     merka mu nema, a v gradite dlabi
breast without ceasing, without finding       bez da se zapre, bez dno da najde
its level not grief but an oath, and in       ne taga a kletva, i v ochi matni
the clouded eyes unsummoned rises             i ne sakajc'i sama da se diga
the tempest.                                  furijata.

The scales bear golden leaves                 Kantarot nosi lisjeto zlatno
while in the breast rage furious waves        a v gradi luto dalgite besnat
of golden grief, of golden tobacco            na zholtata maka - na zholtiot tutun
of the golden sweat of our hands!             na zholtata pot na racete ni!

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Sasa Konecni                     e-mail: sk@sunbim.be           
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