Come before me

Heal me the pain

That is cutting me through

In my chest.

Bilall Maliqi, a renowned poet and writer from Kosovo, shares his poems

Bilall Maliqi was born on April 8th, 1969, in the Village of Elez Bali, Municipality of Presheva Kosovo. He writes poetry and prose for children and adults, and is a literary critic. He is the author of 40 books in different genres. He has been published in a in a number of literary anthologies around the world. He is Chairman of “Atunis Lugina” with offices in Presheva and member of the Board of Directors of Literary Association “Princ Muzaka”. He is also the coauthor of Literary Magazine for kids and teenagers “Djellori” and contributor on cultural matters in “Revista Nacionali” and Deputy Editor of monthly magazine for kids entitled “Hopes”. Bilall Maliqi writes for the daily newspapers in Kosova and Macedonia: “Epoka e Re”, “Zëri”, “Kosova sot”, “Bota Sot”, “Fakti ditor”, “Lajm” etj. Bilall Maliqi works and lives in Presheva.

COME BEFORE ME

I looked for you in chartered forests

And uncharted

Behind long oak trees

And of wide leaf crowns

I did not find you (nowhere)

Where are you hiding?

You, a mountains’ Zan

Or with your beauty

You are healing the wounds

Of the brave man’ engulfed

Come before me

Heal me the pain

That is cutting me through

In my chest

Turned into a remedy

Take away that curse of eyes

Caress the poor boy

That brings thunder

With your power

Just like in legends

*zán/ë,-a mythology, a character of Albanian Folk Mythology thought to be a gorgeous girl that lives in the mountains and forests…

***

A LIVING LEGEND

(To Ismail Kadare)

From today we are poor

From your words

And enlightened wisdom

That is incarnated in works

For your kingdom

With a grandiose crown

Sitting comfortably

In the reign of letters

Today just like in a dream

The eighth magic verse

Matched to literary eight

Muses have chastised

While angels

Measure his books

In the cradle of bounties

Today death

Closed the eyes of a master

Verses are covered

With a black blanket

Vertical throughout time

As a living legend

Until eternity.

__________________

(Translated from Albanian to English by Peter Tase)

Received from Angela Kosta Executive Director of MIRIADE Magazine, Academic, journalist, writer, poet, essayist, literary critic, editor, translator