1.<\/p>\nOld things I buy, I buy old things!
\nOld tassels, old clothes,
\nold metal, old loves.
\nOld things I buy!
\nI buy old bits and pieces,
\nnonessential odds and ends,
\nbeat-up shoes, raggedy shirts,
\nluck that once lucked out.
\nOld things, old things, old things I buy!
\nI buy old everyday things,
\njealousies of every size,
\nold vests in your closet,
\nold pots on your stove,
\nold soot on your conscience,
\nold rust on your dreams.
\nOld things, old things, old things I buy!
\nI buy old everyday things,
\njealousies of every size,
\nold loves, old luck, old lapses, old lies.
\nI buy old joys and used-up youth-
\nold things, old things, old things I buy!\n
2.<\/p>\nOld things I buy and sell good as new.
\nCome on down, sir! Long life to your children!
\nCome down and rummage my empty pockets-
\nyou won’t find as much as a buck.
\nAh, if only you met our fine young bachelors!
\nIf only you met Dalip, an ace of a guy,
\nyou’d do him the goodness of offering your shoes,
\nand he’d take them and bow to you;
\nhe’d resole them and polish them
\ntill they shined like the morning sky.
\nAnd handsome, handsome, no one’s more handsome!
\nHe’d come down to the street in the neighborhood
\nso dashing and clear-eyed and all decked out,
\nand the girls, they’d be jostling each other,
\nand the women, exchanging such looks,
\nand the men, they’d be filled with envy.
\nAh yes, old shoes-old things I buy!\n
3.<\/p>\nOld things I buy and sell good as new.
\nFor mercy’s sake, dear lady (God be with you!),
\nwhy are you asking so much?
\nI’m a married man, with a wife and children,
\nlong may the darlings live, but they’ve eaten me alive,
\nthey’ve brought my house to rack and ruin!
\nThis dress, now it really isn’t your style-
\nhere’s a hundred dinars and let’s call it even!
\nAh, if only you knew our jet-eyed Kalina!
\nShe’s just getting ready to be a young bride.
\nHow she will bless you! How she will thank you!
\nShe’ll bless your grandchildren, your great-grandchildren,
\nand all the generations yet to come!
\nAh yes, old dresses for young brides-
\nold things I buy!\n
4.<\/p>\nOld things I buy, I buy old things! Rag-and-Bone Man 1. Old things I buy, I buy old things! Old tassels, old clothes, old metal, old loves. Old things I buy! I buy old bits and pieces, nonessential odds and ends, beat-up shoes, raggedy shirts, luck that once lucked out. Old things, old things, old things I buy! I buy old everyday things,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":98423,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-98585","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acosopov.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/98585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acosopov.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acosopov.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acosopov.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acosopov.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98585"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.acosopov.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/98585\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":101887,"href":"https:\/\/www.acosopov.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/98585\/revisions\/101887"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acosopov.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/98423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acosopov.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nOld tassels, old clothes,
\nold metal, old loves.
\nI buy old everyday things,
\nannoyances of every size,
\nold worries, old sufferings,
\nold honor, old lies.
\nOld things, old things, old things I buy!
\nOld luck, old loves,
\nold joys, old youth.
\nI buy old trimmings and clothing.
\nOld things, old things, old things I buy-
\nold things for new comings and goings.\n\tAco \u0160opov<\/a>, Not-Being (Nebidnina)<\/a><\/em>, 1963
\nTranslated from the Macedonian by Christina E. Kramer and Rawley Grau,\u00a0The Long Coming of the Fire<\/em><\/a>, Dallas, Deep Vellum, 2023.\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"