Du{an Pajin, Belgrade

I HAVE NO TIME -

ANTHOLOGY OF CONTEMPORARY

YUGOSLAV POETRY (1950-1995)*

If you moan in this region

It turns into a poem.

If you sin in deed or saying

The bells will toll a prayer of atonement.

If you bear a child

A lullaby will be heard.

If you die

A lamentation will follow

If you fall in love

Verses will be spoken

In painful sleeplessness.

Whatever you do

It will turn into a poem.

Desanka Maksimovi} (1898-1993)

Perhaps the above verses explain why are there in this country so many poets in relation to the number of inhabitants. Poetry is in Yugoslavia the most popular form of literary expression. The greatest number of prizes awarded to writers of all kind, are related to poetry. Among writers (of all kinds), more than half are poets. So the first difficulty in making up this Anthology was related to the disproportion between the possible size of the book and the number of considered poets. This also means that this anthology presents the poets, and will not follow the history of poetry in this period, through various styles and streams, which manifested in the XXth century Yugoslav poetry, such as: realism, symbolism, surrealism, Dadaism, social poetry, patriotic poetry, war poetry, religious, and mystic poetry, postmodern style etc. The second reason is that our basic aim was to make a book for readers, not for literary historian, or for the theorist of literature .

Secession of the four republics of ex-Yugoslavia during the last five years, made considerations of "Yugoslav poetry" ambiguous. On these territories still live poets (writers, etc.) who would perhaps like to be considered as Yugoslav (or perhaps Serbian) poets. From one point it would be fair to include them into this Anthology, since - in general - people do not change their identities overnight, except if they are forced to do so. On the other hand it could cause to some of them trouble, because in the new states (ex-Yugoslav republics) it is not popular to show (in any way) nostalgia for Yugoslavia, or display a Yugoslav identity (even as part of one’s past).

Another difficulty is derived from the fact that some poets have left (emigrated from) Yugoslavia - some a few decades, some a few years ago, since the process of emigration was speeded up during the civil war. Now it is not obvious whom we should include - although, with some of them we maintained contact and included them in this Anthology.

There are also some ambiguities related to defining Serbian, or Montenegro literature (these two, put together, should make up Yugoslav literature nowadays). These ambiguities were noted repeatedly by various authors even in previous Yugoslavia (for example: Predrag Palavestra: THE HERITAGE OF SERBIAN MODERNISM, Belgrade 1985). The first question is: does Serbian literature consist of works written by Serbs (no matter where they live), or is it the literature written (in Serbian) by people living in Serbia, no matter what is their nationality? One has to have in mind that those who live and write good poetry in Yugoslavia (Serbia, or Montenegro) are not necessary Serbians (or Montenegrians), but they are Yugoslavs. For example, one of the most beautiful poems related to Serbia (it is included in this Anthology), was written by Oskar Davi~o, who was of Jewish parentage, and one of the most influential Yugoslav poets (whose poems were among the first translated into Chinese, around 1985), and before that into English, was Vasko Popa, who was a Romanian.

Another dilemma stems from attempts to delineate XXth century poetry (into first and second half of the century). In order to present the poetry of the second half of the XXth century, we have taken into account the poets who lived and wrote after 1950. However, some of the poets who died before 1950, are actually important for the poetry in the second half of this century, and therefore we made one exception (Jovan Du~i}).

There were also certain limits related to translating. First, we were limited to poets whose poems are translatable into Chinese; there are interesting and important poems, which cannot be translated into Chinese (nor into any European language) because of their peculiar structure, and word-play. Some of these poems are based on the "alchemy of the words", they use dialects, or archaic words of the Serbian (or Montenegro) tradition, and their meaning is related to this particular vocabulary. Second, in Yugoslav poetry there is an important class of poems, called patriotic, that are related to local and historical figures, and issues. But to a foreigner (who is not familiar with the local history) these poems do not make much sense, because - for him - they lack the aura and meaning which they have for Yugoslavs. Also, for the same reasons we could not include very interesting experiments with the language of poetry, that were, or are nowadays related to various styles, like dada, surrealism, signalism etc., where meaning is beyond translation, or based on particular visual constructions that combines words and signs, like complex instructions.

Poetry periods follow history of wars. So usually Yugoslav poetry was divided into following periods. First, period – before the First World war - in former Yugoslavia it was called the poetry of "Yugoslav people" (considering poetry written by writers who belong to people who made together Yugoslavia in 1918). The second period was between the First and Second World war. The third period is made of poetry written after the Second World war, until the dismemberment of Yugoslavia, in 1991. The fourth period is from 1991, onwards. Now, we had to keep the term "Yugoslav poetry" for obvious reasons, but we actually cut out the poetry (and poets) that also belong(ed) to Yugoslavia in former period (i.e. from 1950-1991), just because the new states would consider that as "offending" to their new integrity.

Anyway, this situation is peculiar for this region: that after each war everything starts again, from the beginning. Every war was some sort of end, and a beginning, some new conditioning. Some came out of the war wounded, some more rich, while some lost their homes, parents, or children. Some lost their identities, other gained new identities. Some lost their lives, while other were born during wars. And actually there were two world wars, and four Balkan wars in this century (one of these was the civil war in Greece after the Second world war). This also influenced the poetry and its subjects, which will not be very obvious from this Anthology, for reasons already explained. But still, poetry survived, although in a succession of negations. For example. After the First World war poetry becomes "modern" and develops as a negation of those traits that very considered as important during the 19th century, and the first decade of the 20th century. After World war II, there was a period of socialist realism poetry, which refuted everything that was "modernistic" "bourgeois" and "decadent". After 1950 modernistic poetry comes back, incorporating the developments that have taken place in the mean–time in the West (modern, postmodern etc.). After 1991 there is a new revival of the national sentiment and - sometimes - refutation of former modernistic universalism.

Poets have tried to name and define the meaning and essence of poetry, for their readers and themselves. They would say that poetry is: holiness of the moment, the eternal freshness of the world, the ultimate level of freedom, the eternal human confession, the consciousness of time, the prayer for brothers, fire that melts ice, inner dialogue, full expression of life-energy, etc. When the accent was on personal destiny, the main trait was expressionist. When the focus is on nature, the poetry is symbolic. When home-country is in focus, the fight for freedom is the main subject. When society is in focus, the main content is social criticism, and fight against injustice. When history is in focus, the main subject are people as victim and subject of sacrifice.

When times passes - and it is forgotten who was against whom, to which style, or poetry group he belonged, did he become a member of the National Academy of Sciences and Arts, or not - only poetry survives.

In the Balkans they mix up Chinese dynasties, and (except professors) who cares in China to which style did any Yugoslav poet belong.

As it is said in the unforgettable song of Jovan Du~i}, "The Dubrovnik Madrigale"**

"This evening madame, at the Dukes ball***

We will dance the stormy waltz as we did before,

With gladness on our faces we will slide through the hall

As if nothing ever happened."

______________

NOTES

* Edited by Du{an Pajin, and Chang Shiang–hua, translated into Chinese by Qin Xiaolei & Chang Shiang–hua, published in two editions: by Ch’iu Ko, Taipei, 1997, and by Friendship Publ. Co., Beijing 1998. The title (I have no time) is borrowed from the famous poem by Desanka Maksimovic, included into this anthology.

** Madrigale - Medieval type of love song

*** Ball - dance gathering - in Medieval times (after the disintegration of the Serbian kingdom) Dubrovnik had a status of an independent city-state, headed by a Duke.