Provincijalka [English translation]

They told me she came to the city from the countryside,

Packed a suitcase full of dreams, ambitions and pride,

My friend studied with her and so we finally met,

I realized a new constellation that my sky would get,

Provincial

The heart threw on a tantrum, as a child caught in a strife,

We searched for each other through the labyrinth of past lives.

I left everything behind,

Delusions, mistakes that cause grievance,

With ease, as if they were brief stops of no consequence

Oh, I wish I could fall in love just one more time,

Into eternal boy again I would transform.

A way to waste lonely hours I would find,

Till she runs out down the staircase of her dorm.

Standing up to ridicule and incessant intrigues,

A solitary seagull above mediocre seas,

Words would ruin all,

In quietude she leaned into me,

Both alone and truthful, refugees from absurdity.

Oh, I wish I could fall in love just one more time,

To gaze at Danube promenade again in wonder,

I’d remember that each cloud could be sublime,

And I would wait only for her, and no other.

Write me a poem, she coaxed. I didn’t know if I would be able to.

Words are my toys, they shimmer in my head

As colourful gems of kaleidoscope and each time I close my eyes

I see a different collage.

But there exist some inexpressible depths,

Some things inside us that cannot be translated to words, I’m not sure...

Write me a poem, she coaxed, and I didn’t know if I would be able to.

I loved her so easily, but I could hardly ever show it.

And then, suddenly, the pattern of naevi on her back,

As a secret map,

Showed me which stars to turn to.

And so, here is your poem, you fool.

• Artist:Đorđe Balašević