3 poems from Zvonko Teneski

Zvonko Taneski (1980) is a Macedonian poet, literary critic, translator and university professor, living and working in Slovakia.  In 2007 he defended his PhD. thesis from “Theory and history of Slovak literature” at the Department of Slovak Literature and Literary Science on Comenius University in Bratislava. He now works on the same University as an associate professor on Department of Slavic Philology in Faculty of Arts. Author of six books of poetry: "Opened doors" (1995, Kuboa), "The Choir of Rotten Leaves" (2000, Matica makedonska), "The Ridge" (2003, Magor), „Chocolate in portfolio" (2010, Blesok), "Necking without warranty card" (2012, Kočo Racin) and "Waiting history" (2016, Antolog). His poems has been translated into numerous languages and published in the national literary periodicals, as well as in the foreign. In the year of  2013 he has received a Golden medal "Poet laureate" from the Axlepin Publishing in Manila (Philipines) and in year 2015 he has received а high Plague for wholesome poetry the Rector of Varna University on festival "Slavic hugs" in Varna, Bulgaria.

 

Making love after drunken night

We’ll be washing our teeth early on

And we’ll be standing long before the mirror with foam in our mouth

We’ll taste our own embarrassment

You will merely ask me early on where you have put your watch

And I'll ask you

To turn on the radio, speaker of the morning news

That will inform us about the thousands of students

That had left home for the holiday

And she’ll tactically say nothing about our last night in the modern boarding school

Early on we’ll feel

Very abandoned and we’ll come outside

At the noisy streets

Searching through our pockets

While we seek out the lost time

And the valid passenger ticket

The wind will blow empty – handed

As unemployed postman

And joyfully will blow away

Crinkled card with hastily written unnecessary address

And so it will be so uncomfortable

To split apart with you

And to rely on

The cold window

In the bus

And to keep silent

Nonetheless we talk a lot now

All sorts of confessions are passing through our throat

Just as easy as drinking cups,

So that our words can be perfectly

Mixed up

And we’ll fly somewhere up

With no sense that

Hence we’re creating the new man

KUITA BONDE MUSHURE MEHUSIKU HWEKURARADZA

Tichange tichigeza mazino edu kutangira

Uye tichange takamirira nguva regore pamberi pechiringiso tine mapupu mumuromo

Ticharavira kunyadziswa kwedu

Uchandibvunza kwokutanga kuti ndepapi pandaisa chiringazuva

Uye ini ndichakukumbira

Kuti ubatidze dzimudzangara, mutauri wenhau dzemangwanani

Iyo ichatiudza nezvezviuru zvevana vechikoro

Vasiya dzimba kuenda kunozorora

Uye nemazwi mukadzi uyu haana chimwe chaanotaura pamusoro pohusiku muchikoro chebhodhingi chitsva

Mumashure meizvi tinonzwa munyama

Kunge tarasiswa kukuru uye tinobuda panze

Kune nzira dzine ruzha

Tichitsvaga muhomwe dzedu

Tichitsvaga iyi nguva yakarasika

Uye tikiti chairo remufambi werwendo

Mhepo inovhuvhuta isina chinhu mumaoko ayo

Kunge mufambisi wetsamba asina basa

Uye nemafaro inodhonza kuenda kure

Makadhi akaunyana ane nyorwa dzakasikiswa dzekwaanofanirwa kusvika

Uye saka zvichava zvisingafadze

Kusiyana newe

Uye kuti ndirarame

Nehwindo rinechando

Ndiri mubhazi

Uye kuti ndarambe ndakanyarara

Kunyangwezvo tinotaura kakawanda iye zvino

Kurevurura kwakasiyana kuri kupfuura nemumagurokuro edu

Zvakapfava kunge kunwa makapu.

Kuti mazwi edu ave akaisvorurama

Kubatanidzwa kwavo

Uye tinobhurukira kuenda kumwe kumusoro

Tisina kana kufungidzira

Kuti neizvi tirikuvaka mumwe munhu mutsva

THE SKY

Before I read the poem at the festival they warned me that

Here one can become a star. In no doubt, post festum.

Several performances, I thought, so that one can create even a sky,

Adorned with stars. Constellation that shimmers.

That’s right: applause from the audience will carry you away,

It will inspire you (expression of time, right?!)

It will raise you up to the pedestal. Then you’ll charge tickets with consumption

(or wine tasting) in your sky.

It wouldn’t be just whichever event for the others,

You’ll become a privileged individual with mystic character.

Suspicious one for the higher authorities, one of the chosen few.

Because even the sky (honestly) is a mystery,

Unprecedented miracle. Quick escape, filled with risks.

Returning to the stage of our acne.

Before leaving the sky you’ll return the ticket to the smile.

Revenge lies at the bottom of the wine glass – tit for tat.

DENGA

Ndisati ndatanga kuverenga nhetembo pamutambo wenhetembo vakandiyambira kuti

Pano mumwe anogona kuva nyanzwi. Zvisina mubvunzo kuseri kwemutambo uyu.

Kuzviratidzira kwakawanda, ndakafunga, kuti mumwe atogona kugadzira denga chairo,

Rakashongedzwa nenyenyedzi. Kurongana kwenyenyedzi kunovaima.

Ichokwadi: kuombererwa kubva kuvatarisi kunokusimudzira kuenda kure,

Ndichakusimudzira (kutaura kwemazuva ano handiti!)

Zvinokusimudzira kuenda newe pakatunhumadzwa. Uchabva wachinja matikiti nokudya

(kana kuti kuraura hwaini) mudenga rako.

Hazvichavi imwewo ungano kune vamwe,

Uchava munhu akakosha ane hunhu husinganzwisisike

Anofungidzirwa zvakaipa nevepamusoro pematongerwo enyika, mumwe vavashoma vakasarudzwa,

Nokuti kunyangwe denga (ndinovimba) chinhu chisinganzwisisike.

Mashirirpiti asingagonekwi, kwokutizira kuri pedyo, kwakazara nenjodzi.

Tichidzoka kunzwimbo yepamusoro yedu yemapundu matsvuku

Usati wasiya denga unodzosera matikiti kune nyemwerero.

Kudzosera chitema kunogara pasi pegirazi rehwaini- akupa chironda womupawo chironda

ROOM

Why didn’t they let me change the room
and make me feel better,
now that even the critics are allowed to change their views
and earn more space in the magazines?

They all went for large and bright rooms
with evidently functional furniture,
and I didn’t even complain about the only one new, but hard armchair,
no trace of the second one, though there should’ve been a pair,
just like literature is inseparable from the science about it.

Why was I not standard guest when choosing the bed,
and was so resolute in my desire to experiment?

Literature needs fresh love masks for modeling:
a water-bed, an exotic partner with different skin color, faith,
an unexpected adventure…

But not much depended on, I thought, what view the window had,
everything depended on where and who she’d look at
and who she’d recognize.
“Each room has a mirror”, so I hope mine would have one too,
for it shouldn’t, by any means, be an exception to the rule.

Why does my head look like a syntagmatic axis
though it is laid softly on the pillow,
and becomes a hypertext when it sinks in deep sleep?

Shouldn’t they have let me change my room?

IMBA

Nei vasina kundibvumidza kuti ndichinje imba

Uye kuti ndinzwe zvakanaka,

Nyangwe munguva ino vanotsoropodza vanobvumidzwa kuchinja zvavanofunga

Uye vanowana nzwimbo dzakawanda mumapepanhau?

Vose vakada imba hombe dzineruvheneko

Dzine zvishongedzo zvokushandisa zvinoshanda mazvo,

Uye handina kunyunyuta nezvechimwe chitsva chete, asi chakaoma kugara chigaro,

Pasina kana musaridzwa wechechipiri, kunyangwe paifanirwa kuva nechimwe chacho,

Kunge mabhuku engano dzevanhu asingasiyaniswe nezveSayenze yavo

Nei ndaisava muenzi anotarisirwa pakusarudza mibhedhe,

Uye ndaiva ndakasimbirira pakuda kwangu kutsvagurudza zvitsva?

Mabhuka engano dzevanhu anoda vharidziro dzerudo itsva dzokutevedzera:

Mubhedhe wemvura, mudiwa wekure ane ganda rakasiyana nerako, kubvuma,

Nechiitiko chisina kufungidzirwa

Asi pasina zvakawanda zvinowanikwa, ini ndakafunga, ndeipi ringisiro iyi ine hwindo,

Zvose zvaiwanikwa nokuda kwokuti kupi uye upi vakatariswa nomudzimai uyu

Uye upi waanosarudza.

“Imba ipi neipi ine chiringiro“, saka ndinotarisira yangu ichava nechiringiro chayo,

Nokuti haifanirwi, kunyangwe nechipi chiitiko, kunge chinhu chisingaitike kazhinji.

Ko neiko musoro wangu unotarisika kunge rongedzo yemazvi yagadzira maraini maviri asangana

Kunyangwe wakaradzikwa patsikiriro yakapfava yokurarisa,

Uye unova mushina wokushandisa pane mabhuku omumhepo apo unodonha muhope?

Vaisafanirwa kundiregedza kuti ndichinje imba yangu here?