The Shadow of the World Passes Over My Heart

-   Nikola Madzirov


I haven’t the courage of a relo­cated stone.
You’ll find me stretched on a damp bench
beyond all army camps and arenas. 

I’m empty as a plas­tic bag
filled with air. 

With hands parted and fin­gers joined
I indi­cate a roof. 

My absence is a con­se­quence
of all recounted his­to­ries and delib­er­ate longings.      

I have a heart pierced by a rib.
Frag­ments of glass float through my blood
and clouds hid­den behind white cells.

The ring on my hand has no shadow of its own
and is rem­i­nis­cent of the sun. I haven’t the courage
of a relo­cated star. 


(Tradução de Peggy e Gra­ham W. Reid)