Novo leto sem preživel v ZDA. Pridružil sem se skupini mladih iz Skupnosti ter njihovih prijateljev, ki so prišli na nekaj dnevno srečanje v mesto St. Paul. Povezava na poročilo je tukaj. Srečanja mladih v Skupnosti Emanuel organiziramo praktično že vse od začetka. Izkazalo se je, da so trenutki počitnic ali dopustov ugoden termin za srečanje mladih, ki sicer živijo na svojem domu in sredi svojih dnevnih obveznosti. To so priložnosti za skupno slavljenje in čaščenje, poučevanja, podelitev duhovnih izkušenj ter preprosto druženje. Kratek čas je lahko vir dolgotrajnega delovanja in motivacije. Je pa res, da je bilo to vse-ameriško srečanje posebno, saj je bilo prvo te vrste. Šlo je torej za neke vrste prelomnico, kjer sem preprosto moral biti. Ne samo, da je bilo moje mesto pri njih, na srečanje sem povabil še 4 druge mlade iz Evrope: mlad zakonski par, mlado v poklicu ter posvečeno sestro. Želeli smo, da bi Američani slišali vsaj nekaj od evropskih izkušenj ter da bi že takoj na prvem srečanju doživeli, da je Emanuel mednaroden.
Preživeli smo zares lepe dneve, ki so se razen po standardnih sestavinah odlikovali s čarobnostjo praznovanja novega leta. Ravno sredi njega me je zaznamovala malenkost, ki je doslej nisem tako močno opazil. Na silvestrski večer smo si vzeli precej časa za pokaži kaj znaš. Vsaj v letih mojega otroštva smo temu rekli tako, danes bi se poimenovanje bržčas prelevilo v talent. Že dolgo časa vem, da Američani nimajo blaznih zadržkov vstati in kaj povedati, četudi kaj zelo osebnega. In potrdilo se mi je pričakovanje, da imajo ravno takšno lahkotnost, ko je priložnost stopiti na oder in pokazati nekaj od tega, kar radi počnejo. Tipično, zapojejo katero od (svojih) pesmi. Za razliko od nas, mogoče? In sploh, če bi moral v Ameriki zapeti katero od naših, katero bi izbral? Pa sploh ne toliko zaradi jezikovne ovire, ki bi jo lahko odpravil s kratkim razlagalnim uvodom v določeno pesem. Pač pa bolj zaradi sporočilnosti. Ocenil sem, da bi bila mala terasa in dan ljubezni več ali manj izven konteksta. Mogoče sem ravno zato pomislil na Prešernovo Zdravljico, pesem, katere del besedila smo si izbrali za himno Republike Slovenije. Danes ni ravno umetnost najti angleški prevod celotne pesmi; ugotovil sem celo, da jih je več. Pa sem izbral stari dobri prevod Janka Lavrina, ki, skladno z duhom celotne pesmi, besede narode iz kitice slovenske himne, ne pusti same, temveč nad njih kliče božji blagoslov. Razen tega, da mi je všeč Lavrinov pristop k prevajanju, me je prevzelo besedilo samo. Doživel sem ga v njegovi lepoti in ponosu, da je besedilo naše himne tako zelo pomenljivo onkraj vseh meja in izmed besedil himen sveta – najlepše. V angleškem prevodu sem ga prebral takole:
God’s blessing on all nations,
Who long and work for that bright day,
When o’er earth’s habitations
No war, no strife shall hold its sway;
Who long to see
That all men free
No more shall foes, but neighbors be.
English
A Toast on New Year’s Eve
I spent the New Year in the US. I joined a group of young adults from the Emmanuel Community and their friends who came to a few day meeting in St. Paul, MN. We have been organizing youth meetings in the Emanuel Community practically from the very beginning. Moments of school breaks or vacation have proven to be an excellent time to gather young people who otherwise live a local life in the middle of their daily commitments. Those are opportunities to celebrate and worship together, have teachings, share spiritual experiences, and simply socialize. A short time can be a source of better performance and long-term motivation. However, this pan-American meeting was indeed special because it was the first of its kind. I think it’s not an exaggeration to say that it was a turning point, so I had to be there. Not only was my place with them, but I also invited 4 other young adults from Europe to the meeting: a married couple, a single person, and a consecrated sister. We wanted Americans to get to know some of the European experience and realize that Emanuel is very international.
We spent beautiful days, which, apart from the standard ingredients, were distinguished by the magic of celebrating the New Year. Right in the middle of it, I was struck by a little thing that I had never noticed so strongly before. On New Year’s Eve, we took a lot of time for the talent show. I have known that Americans have no significant hesitation in standing up and say things out loud, even if it is a very personal matter. My assumption was correct: so many of my brothers and sisters stood up, got on the stage, and showed us what they love to do. Typically, they would sing one of (their) songs. Unlike us, maybe? And especially if I had to sing one of ours in America, which one would I choose? And not so much because of a language barrier which could be removed with a brief explanatory introduction. But way more for the sake of the message. I could take this or that famous local song, but … what about the point it makes? Maybe that’s why I thought of Prešeren’s Toast. It is a masterpiece of Slovenian poetry. But above all, we chose a part of it as an anthem of the Republic of Slovenia. There are several translations into English, so I decided on an excellent old translation by Janko Lavrin (not that I expect you to know him). Following the whole song’s spirit, he does not leave the word people alone but calls God’s blessing on them. Other than liking Lavrin’s approach to translation, I simply love the English version. It was a moment of beauty and pride: I find the text of our anthem being so pertinent beyond all borders; not the least, among all the anthems of the world – the most beautiful. This is the English translation:
God’s blessing on all nations,
Who long and work for that bright day,
When o’er earth’s habitations
No war, no strife shall hold its sway;
Who long to see
That all men free
No more shall foes, but neighbors be.
stalno na poti 
One comment on “Novoletna Zdravljica”