Jam njeriu pyll,
njeriu zog,
njeriu det,
dhe njeriu peshk.
Cili i ngjajshëm si unë
do më qëllojë me shigjetë?
Cili—me thoni
më ka futur në rrjetë?
Glossary
|
WORD
|
DEFINITION
|
POSSIBLE SYNONYMS
|
|---|---|---|
| cili (pron.) | what or which person or people | who |
| det (n.) | the expanse of salt water that covers most of the earth’s surface and surrounds its landmasses. | sea, ocean |
| dhe (conj.) | used to connect words of the same part of speech, clauses, or sentences that are to be taken jointly | and, plus, in addition to, as well as |
| do më qëllojë (v.) | fire a bullet from a gun or discharge an arrow from a bow | will shoot me, will fire on me, will hit me, will strike me |
| futur (v.) | intercept and hold something that has been thrown, propelled, or dropped | will catch, will take hold, will receive |
| i ngjashëm (adv.) | resembles | like, similar to, comparable to |
| jam (v.) | first person singular of verb to be, meaning “to exist” or “be true” | I am, I exist |
| ka (v.) | used to identify | there is, there are |
| me (prep.) | possessing or accompanied by | with, by |
| më ka (pron.) | first person singular | me |
| me thoni (v.) | relate events or facts | tell me, say to me |
| në (prep.) | indicates place or state | into the, in the, on the |
| njeriu (adj.) | one single human being | human, one, man, person, individual |
| peshk (n.) | a limbless, cold-blooded, vertebrate animal with gills and fins that lives in water | fish |
| pyll (n.) | a large area covered chiefly with trees and undergrowth | forest, woods, woodland, timberland |
| qëlloje (v.) | kill or wound a person or animal with a bullet or arrow | shoot, fire upon, bombard |
| rrjetë (n.) | a length of open-meshed material made of twine, cord, rope, or something similar, typically used for catching fish or other animals | net, mesh, web, trawl, fishnet |
| shigjetë (n.) | a shaft sharpened at the front and with feathers or vanes at the back, shot from a bow as a weapon or for sport | arrow |
| si unë (pron.) | used by a speaker to refer to himself or herself as the object of a verb or preposition | me |
| zog (n.) | a warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrate distinguished by the possession of feathers, wings, and a beak, and (typically) by being able to fly | bird, fowl, feathered friend |
Background
About Quatrains
A quatrain is a four-line stanza, rhyming with various forms for example:
- ABAC or ABCB (known as unbounded or ballad quatrain), as in Samuel Taylor
Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.”
It is an ancient Mariner,
And he stoppeth one of three.
Now wherefore stopp’st thou me?
The Bridegroom’s doors are opened wide
And I am next of kin
The guests are met, the feast is set:
May’st hear the merry din.
- AABB (a double couplet); see A.E. Housman’s “To an Athlete Dying Young.”
The time you won your town the race
We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by.
And home we brought you shoulder-high
Today the road all runner come,
Shoulder-high we bring you home.
And set you at your threshold down,
Townsman of a stiller town.
Bio
Poet, writer, journalist, and archaeologist Moikom Zeqo was born in the ancient port city of Durrës, Albania. Zeqo is the author of several novels, volumes of poetry, short stories, children’s books, and articles on Albanian history and literature. His poetry is inspired by his passion for myths, legends, and all things ancient. Zeqo studied history and philosophy at the University of Tirana. Later he worked for the Museum of Archeology in Durrës as well as for the Classical and Mediaeval Art Division of the Academy of Sciences. For many years he served as the director of the National Historical Museum in Tirana.