Milenko Županović

Prayer

Relics give me strength
to go further
and the light that I find
the holy books
the words come
combine to help fortify my soul
becomes part of the prayer
veil hides a secret passage
and only selected
I can see it.


*


In the original Croatian:
                                                Moltiva


                                               Autor: Županović Milenko


                                               Relikvije mi daju snagu
                                               da idem dalje 
                                               i svjetlost koju nalazim
                                               u knjigama svetim
                                               riječi same dolaze
                                               okrepljuju moju dušu
                                               postajem dio molitve
                                               tajni veo sakriva prolaz 
                                               i samo odabrani
                                               mogu ga vidjeti.


Interview


TSTmpj:  How difficult was it for you to translate "Prayer" into English?  Did you feel in any way hamstrung by the difficulties I understand translators most often face?


Milenko Županović:  I will  be honest and say that my knowledge of English was not such that I can translate, so I have my poetry translated by google translator.


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TSTmpj:  I feel it's fair to say that in the English speaking world much poetry is written today, but much less is read.  Is this true where you are?


Milenko Županović:  I think that poetry is not much read in the whole world (that's my opinion and may not be true), but the poetry is needed every man, because it heals the soul and my suggestion is that if everyone works a boring job, found in the depths of your soul for art, because it is like religion,
bring salvation.


*


TSTmpj:  How much of a part does religion play in contemporary Montenegro, and Croatia?  How would you describe the relationship of religion to poetry, and the arts more generally, in your society today?


Milenko Županović:  I am very religious, Roman Catholic, baptized, and I think that art and religion are twin sisters, and both help the man feel better in the true sense of the word. Even though I live in Montenegro, I am very attached to the land of my
ancestors Croatia.


Bio Note


Milenko Županović is an engineer by profession, but it does not interest him much, his preoccupations are related to art.