Mirko Magarasevic, Belgrade
MERMAIDS LURE

 

Here We Are on the Open Sea

 

Here we are on the open sea

In a ritual as the bard spoke

The mirror of the sea in the eye of basalt

Luxurious beauty amongst the clouds

Takes off her clothes lit by the Sun

Gives back the cut with the eyes as sharp as obsidian

In the middle of the sea raised calmed

After all coastal sowings

After the hearvests of love

After all challanges and inlightments

The measure of the sea and the legends.

 

The Question of Guilt

 

The time came for ancient books to be paged with bloody stories

about the Acheans who devastated Troy and smashed all the Troyans

and were celebrated after that. But nobody talks about Troy any more. 

Jovan Hristić, Troy

Many a Greek heroes were buried by ritual.

But what shall we do with the smashed Troyans?

What shall we do to make their souls rest in peace?

How shall we save our generations from the curse?

 

That was the question of a Greek hero while

washing his arms in blood to elbows

As if he boded and knew in advance

What was their doom on the open sea and back at home.

 

Nobody answered to this burial question

Being betwiched in plunder

No one but Casandra, nobody boded, nobody knew

That with this murderous sin his own punishment evoked.

 

Even today thirty centuries after

New murderers believe they credit have

And easily take off the chains of guilt –

By memoirs, statements, all these chatters of fall!

 

As if the thousands of those yesterday smashed

Are the same miserable shadows into oblivion pushed.

 

How Achilles Falls in Love With Beautiful Penthesilea

 

Crossed swords rattleing

And the battle took as a much time

As the invincible Achilles can see

How to apply all the skills

Just to be adored by the Greeks

To win once more time!

 

Omnipotence of a warrior invulnerable

Decides the victory over the virgin.

But at first, her warrior’s armour

All that haze and the skill

Makes Achilles a fool around

Who can’t see to whom death will bring.

 

When he fiercly assaults with sword

At once of a sudden the beauty slips in her hips,

So brim of her shield lower slips

And her uncovered neck became the target

For Achilles’ sword which cut down

This virginal life to the end!

 

Barely at that moment so amazed

With her brilliant face Achilles saw what he had done

And all of a sudden he is in love with her whom he killed

Now in front of his feet in death-rattle she falls down.

And Thersites watches Achilles from aside,

Curves his lips and to Achilles mocks.

 

Hector’s Dream

 

If there wasn’t such a bitter impelled fight

I’d walk jumping along floraly Hisarlik

Instead with sword and bronze shield;

I’d walk the grass in a sandal light

Holding my little daughter by the hand,

Not to explain her the glory of the war,

Dazzling foam of prey, glance of plume helmet,

But to watch all colours of flower-bouquets instead,

Swallows and other birds to watch,

To open her through horizon the green

Wide enchantments by all the beauties of the world!

 

Mermaids Lure

 

Heroes’ thoughts breaking

By the strings of their voices

Everybody’s drunk, bewitched at once

Cut into the pieces by the sharp rocks.

Their throats spread trotting in heroes’ heads

They bubbled foam under the tongue

Their alluring song trembling voices made.

 

With screaming call-wave

They slink under the skin at once

With their whisper bones’ marrows boiled,

Their song dissolved the muscle tendons

Energy spent in never ending ecstasy

They stirred again unreachable foam

Lusts in whirlpool caught by a dream.

 

[Translated by Ivana Milankov & M. Magarasevic]