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Rebra, kičma—sve su kosti njene by Unknown — Analysis & Translation

2 min read Serbian

Original Poem

Rebra, kičma—sve su kosti njene Bile slabe, građe oštre—krhke. Srži bjehu njima jadne, l'jene— Tanke bjehu, njene ruke prhke. Znajuć' sve, i opet videć' jade Duše, istog takvog čudnog bola, Dade sebi trunku lažne nade Dok je bila naga nasred stola. Jede sebe—sebe jošte jede, Nož joj klizi, preko bl'jede kože— Oči, prema gore prazno glede, Krv da teče, jedva kako može. Puls joj bješe slab, i tihog tona, Zatim ništa—bješe mrtva ona.

Translation (English)

Ribs, spine—all her bones were weak and sharply built—fragile. The marrow in them was poor and lazy—her arms were thin and brittle. Knowing everything, yet seeing the sorrows of the soul, the same strange pain, she gave herself a bit of false hope while she was naked on the table. Eating herself—still eating herself, the knife slides over her pale skin—eyes looking blankly upwards, blood barely flowing. Her pulse was weak and quiet, then nothing—she was dead.

About the Poet

Unknown (Contemporary)

The poet of this piece is unknown. Serbian poetry has a rich tradition ranging from medieval epic poetry to contemporary works.

Read more on Wikipedia →

Historical Context

Literary Form
Free verse
When Written
Unknown
Background
This poem seems to explore themes of fragility, despair, and self-destruction, possibly reflecting personal or societal struggles.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbian_poetry

Detailed Explanation

This poem vividly portrays a scene of physical and emotional fragility. The imagery of weak and fragile bones sets the tone for a deeper exploration of despair and self-destruction. The subject of the poem, possibly a woman, is depicted as being aware of her own suffering and yet clinging to false hope. The act of self-consumption, symbolized by the knife sliding over pale skin, suggests a struggle with inner demons and a sense of hopelessness. The poem culminates in the death of the subject, emphasizing the themes of mortality and the futility of resistance against overwhelming despair. The use of stark and haunting imagery serves to evoke a sense of empathy and reflection on the nature of suffering.

Themes

  • fragility
  • despair
  • self-destruction
  • mortality

Literary Devices

  • imagery: vivid descriptions of physical and emotional states
  • symbolism: self-consumption as a metaphor for inner turmoil
  • alliteration: repetition of consonant sounds for emphasis
  • metaphor: bones and body parts as symbols of fragility and weakness

Word Dictionary

Word Meaning Translation Transliteration
Rebra kost ribs Re-bra
kičma leđa spine kichma
sve svi all sve
su jesu are su
kosti kosti bones kos-ti
njene njen her nye-ne
Bile bila were bi-le
slabe slab weak sla-be
građe struktura build gra-dje
oštre oštrine sharp osh-tre
krhke lomljive fragile krh-ke
Srži jezgro marrow sr-zi
bjehu bili su were bje-hu
njima njih them nji-ma
jadne tužne poor jad-ne
ljene lenje lazy lje-ne
Tanke mršave thin tan-ke
ruke šake arms ru-ke
prhke krhke brittle prh-ke
Znajuć' znajući knowing zna-yooch
opet ponovo again o-pet
videć' videći seeing vi-dech
jade probleme sorrows ya-de
Duše duh soul doo-she
istog istog same is-tog
takvog takvog such tak-vog
čudnog neobičnog strange chood-nog
bola bol pain bo-la
Dade dala gave da-de
sebi sebe herself se-bi
trunku malo shred trun-ku
lažne neistinite false la-zhne
nade očekivanja hope na-de
Dok dok while dok
bila bila je was bi-la
naga gola naked na-ga
nasred u sredini in the middle nas-red
stola sto table sto-la
Jede jede eating ye-de
sebe sebe herself se-be
jošte još still yosh-te
jede jede eating ye-de
Nož sečivo knife nozh
joj njoj her yoj
klizi klizi slides kli-zi
preko preko over pre-ko
bl'jede blede pale blye-de
kože koža skin ko-zhe
Oči pogled eyes o-chi
prema ka towards pre-ma
gore gore upwards go-re
prazno prazno blankly praz-no
glede gledaju looking gle-de
Krv krv blood krv
da da to da
teče teče flowing te-che
jedva jedva barely yed-va
kako kako how ka-ko
može može can mo-zhe
Puls puls pulse puls
bješe bila je was bje-she
slab slab weak slab
i i and i
tihog tihog quiet ti-hog
tona zvuka tone to-na
Zatim onda then za-tim
ništa ništa nothing nish-ta
mrtva mrtva dead mrt-va
ona ona she o-na

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