Zift on the Soul

Sometimes a single thought is enough
for a person to pause and look into their own soul.

Our elders had a heavy word:
“Zift on the soul.”

Black and sticky, they would say,
like tar that clings and is hard to remove.

But they were not speaking about things.
They were speaking about the human heart.

Because zift on the soul does not come all at once.
It gathers slowly.
From bitterness we carry for too long.
From envy that darkens the gaze.
From words that remain inside a person instead of being forgiven.

And then the soul becomes heavy,
as if a quiet darkness has crept into it.

But the soul was not created for darkness.

The soul was created to carry fragrance.

Like a hyacinth in early spring —
small, quiet, almost unnoticed,
yet its scent fills the whole yard
and finds its way to the heart.

So it is with kindness.

It does not speak loudly,
but wherever it blooms,
there is no place for zift.

Sometimes it may be enough
to cleanse the heart of what burdens it
and allow the soul
to smell like a hyacinth once again. 🌿

Naši stari su imali jednu tešku riječ:
“Zift na duši.”

Crno i ljepljivo, govorili su,
kao katran koji se uhvati i teško skida.

Ali nisu time govorili o stvarima.
Govorili su o ljudskom srcu.

Jer zift na duši ne dođe odjednom.
On se skuplja polako.
Od gorčine koju nosimo predugo.
Od zavisti koja potamni pogled.
Od riječi koje ostanu u čovjeku umjesto da budu oproštene.

I onda duša postane teška,
kao da se u nju uvukla neka tiha tama.

A duša nije stvorena za tamu.

Duša je stvorena da miriše.

Kao zumbul u rano proljeće -
mali, tih, gotovo neprimjetan,
ali njegov miris ispuni cijelo dvorište
i pronađe put do srca.

Tako je i s dobrotom.

Ona ne govori glasno,
ali gdje god procvjeta,
tamo nema mjesta za zift.

Možda je ponekad dovoljno samo
očistiti srce od onoga što ga opterećuje
i pustiti dušu
da ponovo zamiriše kao zumbul.