Rajko Zhinzifov

Rajko Zhinzifov (Veles, 1839 - Moskva, 1877) has an important place among the first generation of macedonian literary workers. He was a teacher, publicist, translator, and collector of folk works.
In the beginning of 1856 he got a job as an assistant teacher of Dimitar Miladinov. His teaching work was later continued in the city of Kukus, where, together with Dimitar Miladinov, worked on a big literary activity in the community.
Later on, Zhinzifov left to Russia, where he attended the history-philosophy faculty in Moskva. He was in the circles of the macedonian students and, apart from studying, was active in writing, translating, and publicising.
Zhinzifov wrote songs, among which the most important are Glas and Veligden. He wrote the poem Krvava kosula, as well as the first short story in Macedonian, Na proshedba.

Glas

Dalech od bashtina, dalech od rodnini, ne v chuzhda za mene zemlja, v poljani kichesti, zeleni dolini, samich'k v planina shetam ja. Ja sja rashozhdam, no na dusha mi teshko, i jadni misli mene borat, i mene stavat to studeno, to zheshko, i chustva to gasnat, to gorat. Ja iskam senka, ja iskam prohlada, dushevna ja iskam tishina, che kleto mi srce dosta veche strada i sja nagleda vsekakva zlina: kovarstvo sos bednost, sos gordost lukavstvo, son mrtov, glupava prostota, ljubov na slova i sloga bez bratstvo, i hitrost, l'zhliva dobrota. "Bezumec, bezumec, dusha ti leniva" - ja chuh neviden i taen glas: "Spregni plug za zaboravenata niva, che bliska et doba, blizok et chas. Stani, zemi osten v r'ce, rabotaj, ti den i nosht, sos pot, istrebi trnje, ischisti troskot, izoraj bezplodna niva da dadit plod. Stani, bezumec, sos molitva goreshta ti kletva daj, stori si krst, stani ti, idi napred, idi na sreshta, no bojsja, bojsja Bozhij prst!" - Gotov sum, sja klnam, da izoram niva. Kazhi, koj si ti, neviden glas? "Chuj!" - zagrme, glas sja otziva: "Jas sum Bozhij gnev, naroden glas!"

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