Poems by Olimbi VELAJ 

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.

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