SAMOTNA LJUBAV
By Antun Gustav Matoš
Translated by Lidija Stupar

Ponoc vec je prošla, svjetlo mi se gasi,
Na baršunu crnom leži teška noc;
Celom mi se truni spomen tvojih vlasi—
Ljubavi daleka, kad ceš, kad ceš doc?

Otišla si. Gdje si? Ko da umrla si,
Udaljenost ima smrti tužnu moc,
Srcem srsi, strasti, dušom sumnje, strasi—
Poginut cu nocas i za dragom poc.

— Ljubav nije sreca!—znaš li kad mi rece?—
— Ljubav, to je rana, i ta rana pece,
— Ljubav boli, boli, kao život boli,
— Teško, teško onom koji jako voli.—

Nisi pravo rekla. Ljubav bol je, plamen,
Ali muci samo kad sam sam—ko kamen.

LONELY LOVE

It’s midnight already, my light is dimming,
On the black velvet heavy night lays;
Memory of your hair wrinkles my forehead—
Faraway love, when will you, when will you come back?

You left. Where are you? It’s like you died,
Distance has the sad power of death,
In my heart tingles of passion, in the soul fears of doubt—
I’ll follow my love when I die tonight.

— Love is not a happiness!— remember when you told me? —
— Love that’s a wound, and that wound is burning,
— Love hurts, hurts, like life it hurts,
— He’s damned the one, damned the one who loves. —

You were wrong. Love is a pain, it’s a flame,
But it bothers only when I’m alone—as a stone.