"The way the sea embraces the island gradually, steadily, so will we,..."
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translated from the Croation by Tom Butler
Rocky Soil
Plow of God
that works the soul's
lenten soil
and clears away the stones
beneath your sharp blade
infuse the mounds
and the Brac field
with the salt of endurance.
Sow dragon seed,
plant angel wings.
May what sprouts
grow slowly into
the thirsty eye of dreams
and the crystal of snows.
Let the fruits be
small, dessicated,
bittersweet of taste.
May the spirits of table and hills
break unleavened bread
in the clearings.
Like the mica caught in olive tree roots,
a kiss between
two mouths.
The way the sea
embraces the island
gradually, steadily,
so will we,
children of God's providence,
come to love ourselves again.
Translator's Bio Note Tom Butler received his doctorate in Slavic languages and literatures
from Harvard and has taught at the University of Wisconsin,
Tufts, and Harvard. He has published two anthologies of translations,
one from Serbian and Croatian, and the other from Bulgarian.
He is retired and lives in Cambridge.
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