poetry · Simon Gregorčič · Soči / To the Soča (1879)
Simon Gregorčič — To the Soča: complete poem
The complete public-domain text of Gregorčič’s 1879 poem Soči, presented with a complete English THY-REALITY translation.
This page presents the complete 1879 Slovene poem Soči alongside a complete THY-REALITY editorial translation. The translation prioritises meaning and imagery over reproducing the original rhyme scheme.
Rights: Simon Gregorčič (1844–1906) is the author of the public-domain original. Source text: Slovene Wikisource — Soči. The English translation was prepared by THY-REALITY for this project.
Slovene original
English translation
Krasna si, bistra hči planin,
Beautiful are you, clear daughter of the mountains,
brdka v prirodni si lepoti,
graceful in your natural beauty,
ko ti prozornih globočin
when the dark fury of storms
nevihte temne srd ne moti —
does not disturb your transparent depths —
krasna si, hči planin!
beautiful are you, daughter of the mountains!
Tvoj tek je živ in je legak
Your course is lively and light,
ko hod deklet s planine;
like the step of girls descending from the mountain;
in jasna si ko gorski zrak
and you are clear as mountain air,
in glasna si, kot spev krepak
and loud as the vigorous song
planinske je mladine —
of mountain youth —
krasna si, hči planin!
beautiful are you, daughter of the mountains!
Rad gledam ti v valove bodre,
I love to gaze into your spirited waves,
valove te zelenomodre:
your blue-green waves:
temna zelen planinskih trav
the dark green of mountain grasses
in vedra višnjevost višav
and the bright blue of the heights
lepo se v njih je zlila;
have beautifully mingled in them;
na rosah sinjega neba,
from the dew of the blue sky,
na rosah zelenih gora
from the dew of green mountains,
lepoto to si pila —
you drank this beauty —
krasna si, hči planin!
beautiful are you, daughter of the mountains!
Ti meni si predraga znanka!
To me you are a most beloved acquaintance!
Ko z gorskih prišumiš dobrav,
When you rush down from the mountain groves,
od doma se mi zdiš poslanka,
you seem a messenger from home,
nesoča mnog mi ljub pozdrav —
bringing me many a dear greeting —
Bog sprimi te tu sred planjav!
may God welcome you here among the plains!
Kako glasno, ljubo šumljaš,
How loudly and sweetly you murmur,
kako čvrsto, krepko skakljaš,
how firmly and vigorously you leap,
ko sred gora še pot imaš!
while your path still runs among the mountains!
A ko pridereš na ravnine,
But when you burst out upon the plains,
zakaj te živa radost mine?
why does your living joy depart?
Kaj trudno lezeš in počasi,
Why do you crawl wearily and slowly,
zakaj so tožni tvoji glasi?
why are your voices sorrowful?
Težko se ločiš od hribov,
Is it hard to part from the hills,
zibélke tvojega valovja?
the cradle of your waves?
Mar veš, da tečeš tik grobov,
Or do you know that you flow beside the graves,
grobov slovenskega domovja?
the graves of the Slovene homeland?
Obojno bol pač tu trpiš,
Perhaps you suffer both these pains here;
V tej boli tožna in počasna,
in this sorrow, mournful and slow,
ogromna solza se mi zdiš,
you seem to me an enormous tear,
a še kot solza - krasna!
yet even as a tear — beautiful!
Krasna si, bistra hči planin,
Beautiful are you, clear daughter of the mountains,
brdka v prirodni si lepoti,
graceful in your natural beauty,
ko ti prozornih globočin
when the wild fury of storms
nevihte divje srd ne moti!
does not disturb your transparent depths!
Pa oh, siroti tebi žuga
But oh, poor river, there threatens you
vihar grozán, vihar strašán;
a terrible storm, a dreadful storm;
prihrumel z gorkega bo juga,
it will roar in from the warm south,
divjal čez plodno bo ravan,
rage across the fertile plain
ki tvoja jo napaja struga —
watered by your channel —
gorjé, da daleč ni ta dan!
alas, that day is not far away!
Nad tabo jasen bo obok,
Above you the vault of heaven will be clear,
krog tebe pa svinčena toča
but around you there will be a hail of lead,
in dež krvav in solz potok
a rain of blood and a torrent of tears,
in blisk in grom — oh, bitva vroča!
and lightning and thunder — oh, a blazing battle!
Tod sekla bridka bodo jekla,
Here bitter steel will strike,
in ti mi boš krvava tekla:
and you will run red with blood for me:
kri naša te pojila bo,
our blood will feed you,
sovražna te kalila bo!
the enemy's will cloud you!
Takrat se spomni, bistra Soča,
Then remember, clear Soča,
kar gorko ti srce naroča:
what your warm heart commands you:
Kar bode shranjenih voda
whatever waters are stored
v oblakih tvojega neba,
in the clouds of your sky,
kar vode v tvojih bo planinah,
whatever water lies in your mountains,
kar bode v cvetnih je ravninah,
whatever there is upon your flowering plains,
tačas pridrvi vse na dan,
then let it all rush forth,
narasti, vzkipi v tok strašán!
rise, boil up into a terrible torrent!
Ne stiskaj v meje se bregov,
Do not confine yourself within your banks;
srdita čez branove stopi
in fury step across your barriers
ter tujce, zemlje lačne, vtopi
and drown the foreigners, hungry for land,
na dno razpenjenih valov!
at the bottom of your foaming waves!