The Slovene poem (si. Slovenska pesem) is a homeland, sociocritical, rebellious and accusatory poem. In it, the author notes that we are a small nation. However, suffering will never break us. It raises the self-esteem of Slovenes, although there are also servants among us, who are not ready to fight, and they give up. Even so, we will survive, because of the people who think with their own heads.

KAREL DESTOVNIK KAJUH – SLOVENE POEM

There are only one million of us,
million dying among the dead,
million, whom tax collectors drink blood
only one million,
who suffer by the meek
and yet never destroys it!

Never and never!

Because we are not rotten straws,
who after hail wither away,
because we are no just numbers,
we are people!

Only servants squeal humbly like dogs
and they bark that there are few of us,
that in rebellion everyone will die …

Oh, if people were not here,
people, who do not obey every command,
then an avalanche would already have taken us away.

So we still live,
even though there is only one million of us,
we would gasp for not suffering
with a rebellious, raised head!

See other texts about Slovenia!

Karel Destovnik Kajuh
Karel Destovnik, known under the partisan name Kajuh, was Slovenian poet, translator and national hero, who was born on December 13th, 1922 in Šoštanj, he died on February 22nd, 1944 on Žlebnik’s homestead in Šentvid nad Zavodnjami. He was born to Marija Vasle and Jože Destovnik. [_Read more_]