Dunav, and: The Danube, and: Rat i mir, and: War and Peace, and: Dunav i rat, and: The Danube and the War, and: Večni Dunav, and: The Ageless Danube, and: Ko sam ja?, and: Who Am I?, and: Dijaspora, and: Diaspora
- Dunav, and: The Danube, and: Rat i mir, and: War and Peace, and: Dunav i rat, and: The Danube and the War, and: Večni Dunav, and: The Ageless Danube, and: Ko sam ja?, and: Who Am I?, and: Dijaspora, and: Diaspora
MIRJANA N. RADOVANOV-MATARIĆ holds an M.A. in English literature and a Ph.D. in linguistics and world literature, fields in which she has taught for over 50 years. Matarić is a prolific bilingual writer and translator of modern American, English, Irish, Indian, Swedish, and Serbian poetry and prose. Her creative work embraces memoirs, poetry, short stories, and other genres. Her 36 published books include Kadmus i druge pesme (1975), Memories, Bitter-Sweet Memories (1988), Legacy (2002), Engleska književnost u Srba 1900–1945 (2010), and Dobro jutro, gospođo M (2013). She is also published in numerous anthologies and literary publications. For her notable educational and cultural contributions, Matarić has received many awards, including five U.S. Presidential medals, the Arsenije Čarnojević Award from the government of Serbia (2005), a literary award from the Academy “Ivo Andrić” (2013), the Golden Medal from the government of Serbia for advancing culture, and the Sretenska povelja for promoting Serbian culture in the U.S. through translations (2008). [End Page 317]
Dunav
Dunav je ljubavnik veran Dunav je učitelj smeran bajalica i uspavanka simfonija šuma i boja.
Dunav je život večni i trajna ljubav moja.
Od rane mladosti s njim sam drugovala šumove mu osluškivala smenu boja pratila miris peska, riba, školjki i istorije njegove udisala.
I sada daleko Dunav u meni šumi i šapuće poverava mi tajne samo sada jasne dok sunce na zapadu gasne i ja s njim.
Dunav teče.
The Danube
The Danube was a faithful lover a teacher and magic ally symphony of sounds and hues, a magic lullaby.
The Danube is our life eternal an undying love of mine.
I listened to his heart beat each change of his mood aroma of sand, fish, and shells, the history of our brood.
I am not near but the Danube lives his secrets now clear.
While the sun is dying in the West, so am I. The Danube still flows high, my last lullaby.
Rat i mir
Svuda oko mene nered, nemiri i nasilje. Mržnja. U mirnom centru vrtloga, sama.
Nema nemira, konfuzije ni mržnje u srcu mome, samo tuga.
Zašto ne mogu te zločinačke ruke milovati zlatastu dečju kosicu, svirati violinu i lepotu vajati?
Usred ludila i zbrke daj mi da budem ćutljivo mudra kao drveće, tiha kao planine i reke, miroljubiva kao cveće. [End Page 320]
War and Peace
Around me turbulence, hate, confusion, and violence. In the still center of that maelstrom I am alone.
No turbulence, no confusion, no hate in my heart, only sadness and the question why.
Why can’t those murdering hands caress babies’ curly hair, play the violin, create beauty?
In the middle of turbulence and confusion, let me be quietly wise like trees, ageless rivers, and mountains, utterly nonviolent like flowers. [End Page 321]
Dunav i rat
Dunav bešumno teče. Godina 1941. i ja sam dete. Drugi svetski rat počinje s treskom. Srušen je most preko Dunava između Novog Sada i Petrovaradina.
Reka postaje granica između dva grada, sada dve države, Mađarske i Nezavisne države Hrvatske.
Četiri godine ne možemo videti najbliže rođake sa sremske strane a kad ih, konačno, vidimo sve moje tetke i strine su u crnini, udovice do kraja života.
Rat je okončan ali mrtvi se ne vraćaju.
The Danube and the War
The Danube quietly rolls 1941, I am a child. World War Two starts with the explosion of our bridge over the Danube between Novi Sad and Petrovaradin.
The River becomes a border between two cities, now different countries, Hungary and the Independent State of Croatia.
Four years we do not see our closest relatives on the other side when we do, all my aunts wear...
