Celje, cemetery, Bizjak Silvija in Arnold

Arnold Bizjak: Sistory does not provide data.

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Silvija Bizjak: Sistory states: First and last name: Silvija Bizjak, Father: Ivan, Mother: Marija, Date of birth: 12. 09. 1927, Place of birth: Celje, Place of residence: Celje, Former municipality: Celje, New municipality: Celje, Marital status: underage Occupation (social status): student, Date of death/disappearance: 00. 00. 1944 Place of death/disappearance: Stara Gradiška, Country of burial: Croatia.

»Silvija Bizjak, born 12. 09. 1927, a third-year student at the Celje gymnasium, had already written several poems by the age of twelve. In 1943 she left together with her older sister Edito for the partisans. In 1944 the Ustashe captured both and took them to the camp Stara Gradiška, then to Jasenovac, back to Stara Gradiška, then again to Jasenovac, from where she last reported on 13 October 1944.

She had already written some poems before leaving for the partisans. Later, partisan and camp poems are unfortunately lost.

[…]

SLOVENKA NA TUJEM

Slovenian land, beautiful it is never will I forget it when, after hard paths through the world I have walked.

The Germans expelled me to this Croatian land.

People say it is nice here but for me, it is not nice.

Even here the grass is green and the roses bloom nicely.

But, Slovenian grass is nicer and our roses smell better.

On the trees, apples are red and the pears are yellow.

But, Slovenian apples are nicer and our pears are sweeter.

In the forest, there is no song, sweet and sweet no squirrels are happy.

Everything is empty, silent, dead oh, if only the shadows would come to us.

But there are no shadows, nowhere are there any my eyes search for them in Slovenia, beautiful shadows are squirrels jump on them.

Oh, where is the cold stream here where is a clear little stream where are the little deer walking lightly and the rabbits jumping quickly.

There is nothing of all this, beauty is not here for which my heart yearns.

Slovenian land is better oh, much better, much better.«

Poems by Silvija Bizjak, Memories of Slovenes in Jasenovac, Stara Gradiška and Lepoglava, Collected and edited by Jernej Borovnik-Bartol, Šentjur: Samozal. J. Borovnik-Bartol, 1998, pp. 262, 269.