1. Illusion Like an amputated soldier I am returning to these silent provinces I had left from swiftly Now my skeleton sinks Dimly into deliriums of heroes That had never existed And I know Many provinces have disappeared Into the faded trot of insects While people kept falling Without doubting at rising Horrible was The blind storm of destiny Like a tired hand, they fell On the yellow sand of nothingness And rested refusing everything from circumstances In that season I had woken up Amidst their misery When there was no more time For the ultimate peace
2. Because of sadness
Because of sadness we make sentences of dray meanings like cactus plantations without anyone’s presence we stretch our limbs through the night lonely like sounds reminding me of plants’ seeds fallen on yellow sand through wind world shivering with repeated news and other victims with voices being cut on the blade of shuters without regret doors were closed blood bleeding from sad eyes of dreams skeletons with crosses adorning themselves going on new conquests without hymnes O, these endless crusades make my sadness clear on the earth
Translated by Ukë Zenel Buçpapaj
1. Iluzioni
Si një ushtar i gjymtuar po kthehem, në këto vise të heshtura ku fluturimthi qeshë nisur Skeleti im tani fundoset i paqartë, nëpër delire heronjsh që kurrë s’patën rrojtur Dhe e di shumë vise kanë humbur nëpër trokun e flashkët të kandrrave ndërsa njerëzit binin duke mos dyshuar për ngjitjen E tmerrshme ish stuhia e verbër e fatit Si një dorë e lodhur ata ranë në rërën e verdhë të hiçit dhe u prehën pa pranuar asgjë nga rrethanat Në këtë stinë qeshë zgjuar mes mizërisë së tyre kur s’kishte më kohë për paqen e mbrame
2. Nga trishtimi
Nga trishtimi sajojmë fjali me kuptime të thata si fusha kaktusesh pa praninë e askujt përmes natës shtrijmë gjymtyrët vetmueshëm, si tinguj që më sjellin në mend fara të rrëzuara bimësh në rërë të verdhë nëpër erë bota dridhet me lajme të përsëritura e viktima të tjera me zëra që priten në tehun e kanateve pa keqardhje dyert u mbyllën gjak po rrjedh nga sytë e trishtuar ëndrrash skelete me kryqe stolisen e në pushtime të reja nisen pa himne O, këto kryqëzata pa fund të kthjellët ma bëjnë trishtimin mbi tokë
Olimbi VELAJ (1971) was born in Albania. She has studied in Tirana and Sofia and earned PhD in Literary Studies during 2012. She is author of three lyric volumes: Çastet vdesin nën akrepa orësh (Moments perish under the hands of clocks), “Eurorilindja”,Tirana, 1998; Qenia pasdite (Being in afternoon), bilingual volume (Albanian-English), “Aleph”, Tirana, 2003; Lumturia e të tjerëve (The others happiness), bilingual volume (Albanian-English), “Aleph”, Tirana, 2022; and (Albanian –Italian) La felicita’ degli altri, 2022, Pettirosso Editore, Sardegna, Italy. Her poetry is published in 18 languages in some of literature magazines and anthology. She has been participant in a number of poetry festivals. She has nominations and awards: in Albania (1993, “Migjeni”, prize for debuting poet); Kosova (2002, Prize from Association of Writers and Artists of Kosova for the best poetry of woman poets in Albanian language); Romania (2005, nomination for the Balkan Prize of Poetry, International Festival Curtea de Arges); Lebanon (Naji Naaman's Literary Prizes 2014); Albania, (Europian Academy of Art, Poetry Prize 2014); Prize Menada for the special poetic creativity, International Festival “Days of Naim”, Tetovo, North Macedonia, 2020; the National Award for the best poetic volume of 2022, given by Ministry of Culture of Albania and the National Book and Reading Center. Velaj translates poetry mainly from Bulgarian language and from English. She has been journalist for two decades. Actually she is lecturer in Literature Department, Faculty of Education, University of Durrës, Albania. Last years she has worked at AAB College in Prishtina, Kosova and in Serbia, lecturer for Albanian Language, Literature and Culture, University of Belgrade.