Relaxing Poet

A.G.Matoš is the central figure of Croatian moderna. He entered into Croatian literature in 1892 with a short story called Moć savjesti (The Power of Conscience). Its publication is considered the start of Croatian moderna. Matoš started seriously writing and publishing poetry in his late period, around 1906, and wrote only around 80 poems. I apologize for the poem in Croatian, but my humble self does not dare to translate the work of such a great artist.

 

SERENADA

Ja te volim, jer si fantasta

Ko žuta Luna i stara gitara,

Ko slatka nježnost slavujeve pjesme,

Što majsko veče bojom tuge šara.

Ja te volim, jer si ko zvijezda:

Visoko—sama, i suze jer tvoje,

Što krišom plačeš, ko kajanje truju

I more budne, mučne noći moje.

Ja te volim, jer si ljubav Zemlje

Iz koje niknuh, Hrvatice draga:

Ko Bogomajka na Kamenih vratih

Što dušom sija kada preko praga

Gričkog bruji mračni Angelus.

Ja te ljubim! Zašto? Ne znam.—Jer si

Mi draga, dušo, ko nada što vara,

Ko sjetne pjesme i sjene što veze—

Ta žuta Luna i gitara stara.

 

A.G.Matoš

Done