Ivan Benak

pučki pjesnik · folk poet  ·  Sopje 1933. – Valpovo 2015.Sopje 1933 – Valpovo 2015

Umirovljenički jadi

Medika je dom Balikić Ane

Pensioners' woes

Medika Is Ana Balikić's Home

Onaj tko je ovom Domu ime dao,što je MED I DIKA, on je dobro znao,jer od meda znajte, ništa slađe nema,a dika sa dikom slatku ljubav sprema.

He who gave this HOME its name, he knew it right:it is MED I DIKA, honey and delight.Nothing's sweeter, mark you, than the honey from the hive,and a darling with a darling keeps sweet love alive.

I onda kad spojiš dva imena ova,u ovom je DOMU sva ljepota snova.Zato ime DOMA to je vrlo krasno,što MEDIKA znači, to je svima jasno.

And then, when you bring these two names side by side,in this HOME the dreams of beauty all abide.That is why the HOME's name's lovely to the ear:what MEDIKA means to everyone is clear.

U tom DOMU sada štićenici žive,za njihovu prošlost samoće su krive.Kuća prazna, pusta, sve iz kuće ode,pa nikoga nema da ti pruži vode.

In this HOME the residents now live; they cameout of loneliness, and it must bear the blame.Empty house, deserted, all have gone their way,no one there to hand you water through the day.

I vaš život sada u snove se vrati,tu ljepotu može MEDIKA vam dati.A mjesto je Doma, Osjek blizu Drave,pa ujutro sviću divne zore plave.

And your life now comes back in your dreams anew;that's the beauty MEDIKA can give to you.And the Home's in Osijek, near the Drava's flow,and at morning lovely dawns of blue will glow.

A vlasnik je DOMA sad Balikić Ana,kao dobra žena u DOMU je znana.Tu normalan život u domu postoji,tridesetak svojih štićenika broji.

Ana Balikić is owner of the place,known here in the HOME for goodness and for grace.Normal life goes on here, just as life should go,and it counts some thirty residents or so.

Za vaše probleme što imate noćiosoblje MEDIKE vama će pomoći.Nakon snova jutrom, to morate znati:osvježenje tijela MEDIKA će dati.

For whatever troubles you may have at night,MEDIKA's staff will help and set you right.After dreams, at morning, this you ought to know:for the body, freshness MEDIKA will bestow.

I starost je ljepša kad se s nekim druži,tu ljepotu MEDIKA može da vam pruži.Nakon dnevne šetnje, dobar ručak čeka,a nakon večere, posteljica meka.

Old age, too, is lovelier when shared with friends,and that beauty MEDIKA to you extends.After daily walks, a good lunch waits for you,after supper, a soft bed is waiting too.

U postelji toploj divne snove sniti,pa zar može nešto od tog ljepše biti.Kada se u snove vaša mladost vrati,da bi mogli veselo društvu ispričati.

Lovely dreams to dream in bed, so warm and deep:can there be a lovelier thing than such a sleep?When your youth comes back to you in dreams at night,you can tell your friends about it with delight.

Pa kada vas jutro iz toplog sna budi,a jutarnji danak na ljepotu sluti.I gospođa Ana kad vam se nasmije,vjerujte mi to su životne premije.

And when morning wakes you, warm, from sleep's embrace,and the dawning day shows beauty in its face,and when Mrs Ana turns her smile on you,trust me, these are life's own bonuses come due.

Valpovo, 17. 01. 2013.

Valpovo, January 17, 2013

Translator's note. A care home for the elderly in Osijek. The name MEDIKA splits into MED I DIKA, "honey and delight" (dika is pride, joy, a darling).