Encounter - Jovan Dučić

An angel met a soul one time,

In the middle of the air,

Skyward set the soul to climb,

Earth-bound the angel fair.

The angel conveyed the wonder

Of heavenly gardens in a breath,

The soul spoke of earth’s own secrets;

Of the magic of love and death.

Then a smile crossed the angel’s face

The eternal rays to ponder so;

And the soul did weep for the grace

Of light and dark's game to know.

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Jovan Dučić (1871 - 1943) Bosnia-Herzegovina

Translated by Pavle Ninković

Source: Serbo-Croatian Poetry Translation