Madrigal

Love needs nothing but itself two loving bones

in the body's infinite chasm
two fingernails' separate patterns
one withers, the other persists
two trickling specks of dust
with all kinds of devilment in mind 

Only love, two yellowed leaves rustling
two flies drunk on death
two trees that slip unbidden
out of their trunks at night
two downcast winds
two boats foundered in mud
two spots of rain
two letters 

Why is your love restless
Why does your love always want
something quite different
Why does it constantly invent unhappiness
and dream of love between fox and cockerel
of fish overfull with the shoal
and a moon disinclined to shine

© Slavko Mihalic

From: “Selected Poems”,
Published by the Struga Poetry Evenings, 2002
Translated by: Johnson

 

Slavko Mihalic, born 1928 in Karlovac , Croatia , member of the Croatian Academy , published 25 books of poetry  which have been published in as many languages.  (POINT Editions published a few of his poems in Dutch in its anthology of Serbo-croatic poetry).  He is the founder of the Zagreb Literary Meetings and of  several international poetry festivals. He is also editor-in-chief of the literary review “Forum”. The large list of awards he has been honoured with  has been completed this year with the Golden Wreath of Struga, Macedonia .