Graffiti in Belgrade

[juguerr@yahoo.com]

Hi guys,

I need help in checking a short translation of two sentences from Serbian into English of this graffiti. The image has Creative Commons Licence!
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xLvb736k4t4/T ... 120010.JPG)

This is what I have already done:

a) In Latin-script on the top, it says "krevet. tqk.. v.o". It is followed by a hand-printing tha I can hardly read. I will be very glad if you can tell me what it says. According to an electronic translator, “krevet” means 'bed' or 'room'.

b) In Cyrillic and on the left side it says (I believe): “наше ће сјене ходати по бечу, лутати по двору, плашити господу.” The electronic translator says ‘our shadows will walk on Vienna, wander in the yards, the Lord be afraid.’ That is an electronic translation that of course seems to be weird. What does it actually says in English?

The only think I am sure about is that in Cyrillic, on the right side, it says “бунт” that means 'riot' in Russian. In addition, I have found that the picture was taken from a photo of Gavrilo Princip, the man who killed the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. In this direction, it makes some sense the expression “бунт” in Russian, but I wonder how the word “Lord” (In Serbian) must be understood as in landlord ( and a 'Marxist' sense), or as God (which would sound really odd to me having in mind Princip’s story). By the way, those living in Belgrade, (the graffiti is close to Belgrade Central Train Station)...I wonder if you know how made this graffiti. The word at the bottom right seems to be the tag of the maker but I cannot read it.

Cheers,
Juan

[Ludwig Whitby]

I remember seeing this actually. It says:'' Our shadows will walk around in Vienna, wander around the palace and scare the gentlemen.'' It has no religious connotation gospodu is the accusative plural of the word gospodin, the word that means Lord is Gospod. I don't know who made the graffiti and it doesn't seem to have any 'Marxist' sense. The gentlemen in question are probably the Habsburgs and their fellow Austrian royalty.

[juguerr@yahoo.com]

I remember seeing this actually. It says:'' Our shadows will walk around in Vienna, wander around the palace and scare the gentlemen.'' It has no religious connotation gospodu is the accusative plural of the word gospodin, the word that means Lord is Gospod. I don't know who made the graffiti and it doesn't seem to have any 'Marxist' sense. The gentlemen in question are probably the Habsburgs and their fellow Austrian royalty.

Hi Ludwig,
thank your for your prompt reply! I wonder if you or anyone else could tell me what is written (and what it means in English) on top of the graffiti and at the bottom right.

Best,
Juan

[Ludwig Whitby]

I can't really make it out. In the bottom right it looks like SOLYER to me. On top of it is krevet.qtk.v.o. and the only word that I recognize is krevet = bed. The word that Gavrilo has in his speech bubble is BUNT which means something like rebellion.

Hope this helps.

[juguerr@yahoo.com]

I can't really make it out. In the bottom right it looks like SOLYER to me. On top of it is krevet.qtk.v.o. and the only word that I recognize is krevet = bed. The word that Gavrilo has in his speech bubble is BUNT which means something like rebellion.

Hope this helps.

Thank you very much Ludwig!
Cheers,
Juan

[hemflit]

A mini digression on grammar and usage:

Gospòdu is actually not the accusative plural of gospòdin but the acc. sg. of the mass noun gospòda (not to be confused with gȍspođa, either).

Gospoda is commonly used as a surrogate plural for gospodin, the latter noun's proper plural (gospòdini) being very unusual and sounding almost like a made-up word (though attested in literature).

The broader meaning of gospoda, also very common and actually being used in this graffito is that of "gentry", "noble people", "people of refinement". It doesn't refer so much to a strict, formal "noble" class of aristocracy (that would be plèmstvo) but rather to a general description of a group of people who make up some kind of an upper or ruling class. It's often used in a positive or respectful sense, but the message of this graffito uses it with disdain, in implied contrast to the honest hard-working common people.

There isn't a clear dividing line between the two meanings, and it's perfectly ordinary to use the vocative "gȍspodo" to formally and respectfully address a group of men or occasionally a mix of men and women (though that's more often "dáme i gȍspodo").



About the graffito in general:

The message can be translated as "Our shades shall roam Vienna, haunt the court, frighten the lords". ("Shades" definitely as in spirits/memories, not literal shadows; "roam" and "haunt" is just me taking liberties to convey the tone of the original over its most literal translations of "walk" and "wander".) An internet search tells me it's a message that Princip carved into the wall of his prison cell. It certainly does sound like something that a guy giving his life for a fight against the empire would write.

"Bunt" has to be the name or motto of some local anarchist group or similar. Or an invitation to the reader to generally embrace the spirit of rebellion against The Man.

"Krevet.qtk.vo.something" is, after another Google search, easily explained by this gallery: http://www.maquis-art.com/_graffiti_artist.php?id=4464