Rudyard Kipling – If

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
‘ Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

Prevod na srpski

Radjard Kipling – Ako

Ako možeš da sačuvaš razum kad ga svi oko tebe
gube i za to krive tebe,
ako možeš da veruješ u sebe kad svi sumnjaju u tebe,
ali da ostaviš mesta i za njihovu sumnju;
Ako možeš da čekaš, a da ti čekanje ne dosadi,
ili, ako te lažu, da u lažima ne učestvuješ,
ili, ako te mrze, da ne daš mesta mržnji,
a ipak, da ne deluješ suviše dobar, i da ne govoriš premudro:

Ako možeš da sanjaš, a da snovi ne ovladaju tobom;
Ako možeš da razmišljaš, a da ti misli ne budu same sebi cilj;
Ako možeš da se suočiš sa Trijumfom i Katastrofom
a da se sa prema ta dva prevaranta ophodiš jednako;
Ako možeš da podneseš da istinu koju si izrekao
izvrću podlaci da namame budale,
Ili da gledaš stvari kojima si život posvetio, slomljene,
i da se pogneš i popraviš ih istrošenim alatom:

Ako možeš da sakupiš sve što si stekao na jednu gomilu
i sve to baciš na kocku,
i izgubiš, i opet kreneš ispočetka
i nikad se ne požališ zbog svog gubitka;
Ako možeš da nateraš svoje srce i živce i snagu
da te služe dugo nakon što ih izgubiš,
i da se tako držiš i kad ničeg u tebi ne bude
sem Volje koja im govori: ‘Držite se!’

Ako možeš da razgovaraš sa gomilom, a da sačuvaš svoju čast,
ili da šetaš s kraljevima – ne gubeći razumevanje za obične ljude,
ako te ni neprijatelji ni voljeni prijatelji ne mogu povrediti,
ako svi na tebe računaju, ali niko previše;
Ako možeš da dobro iskoristiš svaki
sekund u minutu koji ne prašta,
tvoja je cela zemlja i sve što je na njoj,
i – iznad svega – bićeš Čovek, sine moj!

Prevod po zahtevu

3 thoughts on “Rudyard Kipling – If

  1. As I accidently came upon your version of Kipling s poem “IF”,I was delighted to hear such a skillful translation. My friend and I enjoyed it and maybe we ll learn at least some of it, learn by heart and recite it to our children, grand children and their friends. Would you send us your Serbian translation,please. Your devoted , a retired English teacher and her friend. Thank you.

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