Krava i koka

iz knjiga Žablji sastanak (2005.) i Stihom kroz život (2010.)

The Cow and the Hen

from the books The Frogs' Meeting (2005) and Through Life in Verse (2010)

Kravica je naša Bjelkacijeli dan na paši bila,a navečer slatkog mlijekadječici je podarila.

Bjelka, our dear little cow,spent the whole day in the field,and at evening, milk so sweetto the children she would yield.

Potom reče krava važno:„Moje mlijeko nije lažno,zato, molim da se zna,njega vole djeca sva.“

Then the cow said, with an air:"My good milk's not fake, I swear,so let everybody know:all the children love it so."

A na to će koka snažno:„Ja znam da je mlijeko važno,al' da život duže traje,ja darujem svoje jaje!“

Then the hen said, loud and clear:"I know milk's important, dear,but for life to last, each dayI will give my egg away!"

Translator's note. Bjelka ("Whitey") is a common name for a white cow.

Druga inačica: „Kravica i koka mala“, 2014. Another version: “The Little Cow and the Little Hen”, 2014

Kasnija, proširena prerada.

A later, expanded reworking.

Kravica i koka malasvašta su nam, djeco, dala,za ta svoja dobra djela,baš ni jedna nije znala.

Little cow and hen, the two,gave so much, my dears, to you;but of all the good they'd doneneither of them ever knew!

Vi istinu znate pravu:kako koka pase travu.Za kravicu drugo važi:po dvorištu zrnje traži.

You all know the truth revealed:hens go grazing in the field.For the cow, it's different, though:round the yard for grain she'll go.

Zato ću vam sada, djeco,ispričati prave priče:kako koka mlijeko daje,krava leže nam piliće.

So I'll tell you, children dear,all the stories, real and true:how the hen gives milk to drink,and the cow hatches chicks for you.

Vi kažite meni, djeco,da ta priča nije tako.Po vašem bi ona sada,bila posve naopako.

Children, you say back to methat the story isn't so;by your telling, now it's turnedupside down, from head to toe!

To znači da naša krava,svakog dana nese jaja,a kokica ona prava,nama male telce daje.

That means our dear little cowlays her eggs each day for all,and the hen, the real one, nowgives us little calves so small.

Shvatio sam, djeco, sada,onu pravu vašu priču:krava se i koka svađe,pa jedna na drugu viču.

Now I understand it, children,that true story that you tell:cow and hen have had a quarrel,at each other how they yell!

Kravica je naša Bjelka,cijeli dan na paši bila,a navečer slatkog mlijeka,dječici je podarila.

Bjelka, our dear little cow,spent the whole day in the field,and at evening, milk so sweetto the children she would yield.

Nato krava veli važno:„moje mlijeko nije lažno,zato molim, da se zna,njega vole djeca sva.“

Then the cow said, with an air:"My good milk's not fake, I swear,so let everybody know:all the children love it so."

A koka će nato snažno:„znam da mlijeko nije lažno,al' da život duže traje,ja darujem svoje jaje.“

Then the hen said, loud and clear:"Milk's not fake, I know it, dear,but for life to last, each dayI will give my egg away."

Sada znaju pravu priču,samo šute i ne viču.Pa i one dobro znaju,da ljudima sve trebaju.

Now they know the story true,and they're quiet, shouting's through;and they both know very wellpeople need them, truth to tell.

Valpovo, 14.01.2014.

Valpovo, January 14, 2014

Translator's note. A topsy-turvy game with the children, in which he folds in his earlier poem The Cow and the Hen. Bjelka ("Whitey") is a common name for a white cow.