Jednom [English translation]

Once they planted a linden,

old Nestorov, sir Čeda and another.

I was new in that comic book,

neighbour’s kid whom they let to watch.

Old Nesterov, after he ignited the weeds, said to me:

"You are young,

you will mature for that shade."

Once I truly loved,

I think of real love, silly and strong.

I drove a thousand miles

like that ugly Frenchmen in a beautiful movie.

Rails dragged me under the wheel of machine1

but she saved me

and all the other girls became unimportant.2

Ref.

Hey, everything settles down

I have known the rules for ages,

the sorrows are the only that count.

Hey, bells ring again on St Luke’s Day3

It is autumn’s fault, its greyness always makes me feel blue

Once she walked past me.

She was with a guy

whom I knew just enough to greet him.

She hid her eyes on time,

but it was enough for party in my head.

Meaningless “hello” and nodding

and everything that went with it.

“Doesn’t matter, baby, it’s all right.”

Ref.

Once they kindles the leaves of the linden.

The smoke drifted skywards

where they are now (they are gone),

old Nestorov, sir Čeda and another.

Who didn’t understand the tree first

and then planted,

he didn’t do anything

and he will realize, sooner or later, that he doesn’t know what the shade is.

1. “Rails dragged me under the wheel of machine”

I translated this literally, but the real meaning of this phrase is that he was young, wanted to try everything and even the dangerous things seemed attractive.2. ”sve je druge ugasila” literally means “she turned off all the others”. It means that other girls became unimportant because of her.3. St Luke’s Day is celebrated in Serbia on 31. October (according to the Gregorian calendar)