Burns Translation Competition

	Burns Translation Competition

British Council Croatia, the British Embassy in Zagreb together with the Department of English, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences ran a translation competition on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, national poet of Scotland. The contestants translated Robert Burns’ poem “On Hearing a Thrush Sing in a Morning Walk in January” into Croatian and the jury consisting of dr. Tatjana Jukić-Gregorić, dr. Ljiljana Ina Gjurgjan and Martina Domines from the Department of English have decided that the following students be awarded:

1st prize Vedran Glavaš
2nd prize Suzana Tadić
3rd prize Diana Janković

The organizers wish to thank all the participants for their time and effort invested in translating the poem and wish them best of luck in their future translation activities.

The winning translation:

Sonnet Written on the Author’s Birthday
ON HEARING A THRUSH SING IN HIS MORNING WALK

Sonet napisan na pjesnikov rođendan
PO SLUŠANJU DROZDOVE PJESME PRI JUTARNJOJ ŠETNJI

Sing on, sweet thrush, upon the leafless bough,

Sing on, sweet bird, I listen to thy strain:

See aged Winter, 'mid his surly reign,

At thy blythe carol clears his furrowed brow.

So in lone Poverty's dominion drear

Sits meek Content with light, unanxious heart,

Welcomes the rapid moments, bids them part,

Nor asks if they bring ought to hope or fear.

I thank thee, Author of this opening day,

Thou whose bright sun now gilds yon orient skies!

Riches denied, thy boon was purer joys:

What wealth could never give nor take away!

Yet come, thou child of poverty and care,

The mite high heav'n bestow'd, that mite with thee I'll share.

Pjevaj, drozde mili, nad goletnim lugom,

Pjevaj, ptico mila, osluškujem glas ti:

Vidi Zimi staroj, sred sumorne vlasti,

Radosna gdje pjesma blaži čelo grubo.

Pod samotne Bijede teški jaram pade

Ponizna Dostatnost i spokojna sjedi,

Prolazne trenutke tek pogledom slijedi,

I ne pita što su, strahovi il' nade.

Hvale tebi, Tvorče dana od spoznaje,

Istočna nebesa čije sunce zlati!

Ne davši bogatstva ti odabra dati

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