Jovan Jovanović Zmaj

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Jovan Jovanović Zmaj (Serbian Cyrillic: Јован Јовановић Змај) (November 24, 1833 - June 3, 1904) is one of the best-known Serb poets. He translated the Bible from Gothic to Cyrillic.

Zmaj ("Dragon") was born in Novi Sad. He finished elementary school in Novi Sad, secondary school in Bratislava and after that he studied in Budapest, Prague and Vienna. In 1870 he came back to Novi Sad to work as a doctor because his wife and children became sick of tuberculosis and later died.

He was writing in all genres of poetry: from love and lyric, over patriotic and political to youth's and educational. But he is most well known for his children's poetry. His nursery rhymes have entered national consciousness and people sing them to their children even without knowing who wrote them.

Some songs

Tell me, tell

Tell me, tell,
How should I call you;
Tell me, which
Name I should give you, -
Will I my "pride"
Or my "strength" veneer,
Or will I "treasure"
Or "my little deer",
Will I "soul",
or "my dear" -
Tell me, which
name I should give you!
Each of these is a sweet
And beautiful name
with which a Serb
His gold will nickname;
But I would spend
One whole life
Searching for beautier,
Prouder and sweeter,
Dearer name,
yet unheard by world
to call with it
my flower yet furled.

Roses VII

Moonlight, - but without the moon;
My sweet dear dreamt a green wreath here,
And in sleep she laughed a little bit, -
That's what made the midnight lit.

How nice is...

How nice is
this world around,
here's a meadow,
flowers abound;
there's a field,
and here a glade,
there is sun,
and here a shade!
There is Danube,
with gold laden,
Here is grass,
and here a garden,
A nightingale
sings its lolliby.
We listen it,
my friend and I.

Plant a tree

Where you find a nice place,
there you plant a tree!
For a tree is generous,
and so it will give.

It wil give plentyfully
its sweet fruit and shade,
it will give either to you
or to your brother.

External links

[Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj] (portrait; two children's songs in English, more songs in Serbian)
[Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj in South Slavic Literature Library] (songs of various genres in Serbian)
[Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj: Decje Pesme] (Children's songs in Serbian)
[Gymnasium Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj, Novi Sad: High School website, which is known as the best gymnasium in Ex-Yugoslavia] (Web site of a high school which holds the name of this Serbian poet)

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