Lidija Nikčević: Stanica

Great Britain

Via Sacra

You ask me: why do I always talk

in the past tense. I don’t know what to say,

being buried in the story about

your town, like a word

 

in a poem about the homeland.

Truly, I am talking about the moment

when we noticed together

that, before us, lion killings

 

took a long time to be prepared.

After that, we were left with

the usual disputes about the origin.

 

For, one is conversation, one is the way;

you knew that well, Horatius Flaccus,

and the land was saturated with blood.

Translated by Aleksandra Nikčević Batrićević

FRANCE

Via Sacra

You ask me: why do I always talk

in the past tense. I don’t know what to say,

being buried in the story about

your town, like a word

 

in a poem about the homeland.

Truly, I am talking about the moment

when we noticed together

that, before us, lion killings

 

took a long time to be prepared.

After that, we were left with

the usual disputes about the origin.

 

For, one is conversation, one is the way;

you knew that well, Horatius Flaccus,

and the land was saturated with blood.

Translated by Aleksandra Nikčević Batrićević

Germany

Via Sacra

You ask me: why do I always talk

in the past tense. I don’t know what to say,

being buried in the story about

your town, like a word

 

in a poem about the homeland.

Truly, I am talking about the moment

when we noticed together

that, before us, lion killings

 

took a long time to be prepared.

After that, we were left with

the usual disputes about the origin.

 

For, one is conversation, one is the way;

you knew that well, Horatius Flaccus,

and the land was saturated with blood.

Translated by Aleksandra Nikčević Batrićević

Italia

Via Sacra

You ask me: why do I always talk

in the past tense. I don’t know what to say,

being buried in the story about

your town, like a word

 

in a poem about the homeland.

Truly, I am talking about the moment

when we noticed together

that, before us, lion killings

 

took a long time to be prepared.

After that, we were left with

the usual disputes about the origin.

 

For, one is conversation, one is the way;

you knew that well, Horatius Flaccus,

and the land was saturated with blood.

Translated by Aleksandra Nikčević Batrićević

Albania

Via Sacra

You ask me: why do I always talk

in the past tense. I don’t know what to say,

being buried in the story about

your town, like a word

 

in a poem about the homeland.

Truly, I am talking about the moment

when we noticed together

that, before us, lion killings

 

took a long time to be prepared.

After that, we were left with

the usual disputes about the origin.

 

For, one is conversation, one is the way;

you knew that well, Horatius Flaccus,

and the land was saturated with blood.

Translated by Aleksandra Nikčević Batrićević

Poland

Via Sacra

You ask me: why do I always talk

in the past tense. I don’t know what to say,

being buried in the story about

your town, like a word

 

in a poem about the homeland.

Truly, I am talking about the moment

when we noticed together

that, before us, lion killings

 

took a long time to be prepared.

After that, we were left with

the usual disputes about the origin.

 

For, one is conversation, one is the way;

you knew that well, Horatius Flaccus,

and the land was saturated with blood.

Translated by Aleksandra Nikčević Batrićević

Russia

Via Sacra

You ask me: why do I always talk

in the past tense. I don’t know what to say,

being buried in the story about

your town, like a word

 

in a poem about the homeland.

Truly, I am talking about the moment

when we noticed together

that, before us, lion killings

 

took a long time to be prepared.

After that, we were left with

the usual disputes about the origin.

 

For, one is conversation, one is the way;

you knew that well, Horatius Flaccus,

and the land was saturated with blood.

Translated by Aleksandra Nikčević Batrićević

Slovakia

Via Sacra

You ask me: why do I always talk

in the past tense. I don’t know what to say,

being buried in the story about

your town, like a word

 

in a poem about the homeland.

Truly, I am talking about the moment

when we noticed together

that, before us, lion killings

 

took a long time to be prepared.

After that, we were left with

the usual disputes about the origin.

 

For, one is conversation, one is the way;

you knew that well, Horatius Flaccus,

and the land was saturated with blood.

Translated by Aleksandra Nikčević Batrićević

Sweden

Via Sacra

You ask me: why do I always talk

in the past tense. I don’t know what to say,

being buried in the story about

your town, like a word

 

in a poem about the homeland.

Truly, I am talking about the moment

when we noticed together

that, before us, lion killings

 

took a long time to be prepared.

After that, we were left with

the usual disputes about the origin.

 

For, one is conversation, one is the way;

you knew that well, Horatius Flaccus,

and the land was saturated with blood.

Translated by Aleksandra Nikčević Batrićević

Slovenija

Via Sacra

You ask me: why do I always talk

in the past tense. I don’t know what to say,

being buried in the story about

your town, like a word

 

in a poem about the homeland.

Truly, I am talking about the moment

when we noticed together

that, before us, lion killings

 

took a long time to be prepared.

After that, we were left with

the usual disputes about the origin.

 

For, one is conversation, one is the way;

you knew that well, Horatius Flaccus,

and the land was saturated with blood.

Translated by Aleksandra Nikčević Batrićević

North Macedonia

Via Sacra

You ask me: why do I always talk

in the past tense. I don’t know what to say,

being buried in the story about

your town, like a word

 

in a poem about the homeland.

Truly, I am talking about the moment

when we noticed together

that, before us, lion killings

 

took a long time to be prepared.

After that, we were left with

the usual disputes about the origin.

 

For, one is conversation, one is the way;

you knew that well, Horatius Flaccus,

and the land was saturated with blood.

Translated by Aleksandra Nikčević Batrićević