Farewell, my heart’s beloved,

In your eyes, I felt longing,

In your embrace, a sob-

Torn, yet still alive.

Valbona R. Hadri, an acclaimed poetess from Kosovo, shares her poetry

Valbona R. Hadri was born in Ferizaj, where she completed her primary and secondary education. She later earned a degree in Albanian Language and Literature from the Faculty of Philology in Prishtina. After completing her undergraduate studies in literature, she pursued a master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy in Prishtina. Additionally, she completed a second master’s degree in Albanian Language at the Faculty of Education, specializing in the Teaching of Albanian Language and Literature.

Valbona has worked as a language teacher and later served as Deputy Director and Director at a school in Prishtina. Later, she was employed as an official in the Department of Pre-University Education at the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation, where she currently works as an Education Inspector. She was a member of the Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (KMDLNJ), contributing to the collection of data on the period from 1945 to 1991 and documenting violence against activists and others. As a dedicated activist, she played a key role in fundraising efforts for education and providing aid to impoverished families. During that time, she published poetry in the newspaper of the Student Union of the Higher School.

Her family was continuously persecuted by the ruling authorities of the time, being seen as a threat by the oppressors. Growing up in such a difficult environment, she often witnessed her father being mistreated by those in power. She began writing while still a primary school student, and her poems and writings have been published in various literary magazines and newspapers. In 2020, she published her first poetry collection, Një sy vashe (A Maiden’s Eye). Her second poetry collection, Me Hënën në Duar (With the Moon in My Hands), was published in 2021 by the Writers’ Association of Peja. In 2023, she published another poetry collection, Ende Frymon (Still Breathing).

Her literary work has been recognized with numerous certificates of appreciation and awards, including contributions to anthologies and book publications. Her writings continue to be published in national and international newspapers, earning her a place among many poets and writers. She is the recipient of the prestigious “Ibrahim Rugova” Award, winning First Place for her poem Vet më the (You Told Me Yourself) in the international poetry competition organized by the Literary Club “Podguri” in Istog, as well as Second Place in the traditional poetry competition organized by the Library of Prizren. Valbona also won the “Shkëlzen Zhubi” Award at the International Traditional Literary Gathering “Peja Poetike” – 2021 in the grand literary session “Shkëlzen Zhubi.”

On May 26, 2022, her poem Seç tha trimi sypatrembur (What the Fearless Hero Said) won First Place in the Literary Contest dedicated to the “Reconciliation of Blood Feuds in Kosovo,” at the 18th edition of the Bytyçi Festival. Her poem Plagë e Vjetër (An Old Wound) received Third Place in this competition. On November 4, 2021, she was awarded Third Place for her poem Atdhe (Homeland) at the National Literature Festival, 10th Edition, organized by the PROKULT Association in Podujevë. In 2022, during the November literary celebrations in the Library of Prizren, her poem Mendjendriturit (The Enlightened Ones) was awarded Second Place. Her poetry has been included in several international anthologies, such as Nuk jam bordi yt, o det (I Am Not Your Shore, O Sea), and Trirema e Poezisë Joniane (The Trireme of Ionian Poetry), published by the Ionian Writers’ Club, 16th Edition.

In 2023, she was honored as Poet of the Year by the Writers’ Association of Peja. At the 2024 edition of the traditional literary gathering “Peja Poetike,” organized by the Writers’ Association of Peja, her poem Përballë Jetës (Facing Life) won First Place.

A jury composed of contemporary Albanian poets selected her works for inclusion in the anthology La poesia contemporanea Albanese (Contemporary Albanian Poetry), published in Paris. Her poetry was translated into French alongside those of fifty-nine other international poets. She was also included in the anthology Kurorë fjalësh (A Wreath of Words), En krans av ord, featuring 147 poets.

Panorama of Ferizaj

FAREWELL

Farewell, my heart’s beloved,

In your eyes, I felt longing,

In your embrace, a sob-

Torn, yet still alive.

A shiver, with tears in my eyes,

Gently overtook me.

The warm breath of your sigh

Made me a child once more.

I love you like the wind-unseen,

Yet always felt with every touch.

My soul remains with you,

Hoping we shall meet again.

Now I ascend to the sky,

Heart overflowing,

With the source of sweetness,

With the most beautiful memories,

Holding in my hands the book of love.

***

AGAIN

I offer my sleeplessness to the night,

A gentle kiss to the winter sky,

A handful of caresses to the anxious birds,

So they may feel at peace.

I offer my mind a fleeting calm,

Let it rest undisturbed tonight,

To cast the chains of doubt into a corner

And invite sleep upon my bed.

I offer truth a long conversation,

So it won’t perish listening to lies.

With the keys of knowledge, I break every shackle,

Separating spring from autumn.

So many doze off in an endless night,

Wrapped in the cloak of absurd darkness.

The masters of deceit are shameless travelers,

Sailing through turbulent seas.

In their gaze lies a death foretold,

Wrapped in ribbons of black.

Time has grown weary of their tricks,

And so, the day always appears gray to me.

***

FOR YOU, MOTHER

Here, where you are,

The air carries the scent of milk and March sighs.

The green acacias whisper,

And the ocean transforms into an eye.

I step into your eyes like a boat

Each time the sun drifts from the shore

And the evening leans, weary, against the sails.

Something stirs within me.

Dark nights drift far away,

While a soothing peace embraces me.

Here, where you are, TIME stands still,

And I instantly ascend to your age,

Beside you, as if by magic.

Every glance turns into a smile,

And for a brief moment,

The gates of paradise swing open.

Your hands, scented with bread and longing,

Instantly create a refuge for me and my children.

Each time the house of my faith crumbles in the winds,

And the roof begins to leak,

I cannot bring myself to say it-

My sweetest Mother.

Within my chest lies a hidden clock,

Its rhythm in sync with the beating of your heart.

Each time I worry,

Its hands turn back,

Begging love

To create another time.