The Bright Lights of Sarajevo
Brief summary
o The poem reflects on the impact of the siege on the day to day lives of the
people of Sarajevo. Despite these terrors, love blooms at night. When there are
no lights in the city, Muslims, Serbians, and Croatians can walk among one
another unbothered
Structure and form
o 1st stanza – long sentence reflects longevity of war and their passive ‘queuing’
o Tone of the 2nd stanza juxtaposes the 1st
o AABB rhyme scheme – adds a light hearted tone to a poem that deals with
suffering, reminds us there is still hope in time of despair
o Shifts from the bitter realities of life to a positive + hopeful image of romance
Beginning: The sufferable, chaotic + unpredictable nature of living life during the siege
o Title – ‘Bright’ – could refer to gunfire + bombing but the adjective creates
optimism, there is still hope amongst suffering
o ‘queuing with empty canisters of gas’ – long sentence, monotonous, repetition
of ‘queuing’
o ‘queuing’ ‘rationed’ ‘struggling’ – semantic field of suffering and desperation
Middle: What one might see in the streets of Sarajevo at night (romance suggests hope)
o ‘but’ – emphasises a shift in mood
o ‘The young go walking at stroller’s pace’ – adjective connotes innocence, forces
audience to sympathise, no urgency, tranquillity
o ‘black shapes impossible to mark’ – ‘black’ juxtaposes ‘bright’ – ironic as
darkness is typically associated with fear but here it represents peace and safety
o ‘hjleb’ ‘hleb’ ‘kruh’ – poet uses bread to emphasise the insignificant difference
between the walking ‘dark shape[s]’
End: Represents hope, a possible future peace and human relationships
o ‘I think’ – narrator interjection, creates unpredictability, reflects their life
o ‘mortars massacred’ ‘blood-dunked’ – enjambement, breaks away from
romantic storyline, brutally reminds us of the harsh realities, alliteration, harsh
tone, disturbing imagery juxtaposes peaceful romance, semantic field of pain
o ‘star-filled evening sky’ – light imagery, hope, contrast
o ‘splintered’ ‘sprinkled’ ‘splashed’ – sibilance, aggressive tone
o ‘candlelit café’ – candles burn out, last reference to light imagery and hope in
the poem is one of fragility and is a stark reminder of the fleetingness of life, 1
long sentence, fast pace, they have to return to harsh reality very soon
Brief summary
o The poem reflects on the impact of the siege on the day to day lives of the
people of Sarajevo. Despite these terrors, love blooms at night. When there are
no lights in the city, Muslims, Serbians, and Croatians can walk among one
another unbothered
Structure and form
o 1st stanza – long sentence reflects longevity of war and their passive ‘queuing’
o Tone of the 2nd stanza juxtaposes the 1st
o AABB rhyme scheme – adds a light hearted tone to a poem that deals with
suffering, reminds us there is still hope in time of despair
o Shifts from the bitter realities of life to a positive + hopeful image of romance
Beginning: The sufferable, chaotic + unpredictable nature of living life during the siege
o Title – ‘Bright’ – could refer to gunfire + bombing but the adjective creates
optimism, there is still hope amongst suffering
o ‘queuing with empty canisters of gas’ – long sentence, monotonous, repetition
of ‘queuing’
o ‘queuing’ ‘rationed’ ‘struggling’ – semantic field of suffering and desperation
Middle: What one might see in the streets of Sarajevo at night (romance suggests hope)
o ‘but’ – emphasises a shift in mood
o ‘The young go walking at stroller’s pace’ – adjective connotes innocence, forces
audience to sympathise, no urgency, tranquillity
o ‘black shapes impossible to mark’ – ‘black’ juxtaposes ‘bright’ – ironic as
darkness is typically associated with fear but here it represents peace and safety
o ‘hjleb’ ‘hleb’ ‘kruh’ – poet uses bread to emphasise the insignificant difference
between the walking ‘dark shape[s]’
End: Represents hope, a possible future peace and human relationships
o ‘I think’ – narrator interjection, creates unpredictability, reflects their life
o ‘mortars massacred’ ‘blood-dunked’ – enjambement, breaks away from
romantic storyline, brutally reminds us of the harsh realities, alliteration, harsh
tone, disturbing imagery juxtaposes peaceful romance, semantic field of pain
o ‘star-filled evening sky’ – light imagery, hope, contrast
o ‘splintered’ ‘sprinkled’ ‘splashed’ – sibilance, aggressive tone
o ‘candlelit café’ – candles burn out, last reference to light imagery and hope in
the poem is one of fragility and is a stark reminder of the fleetingness of life, 1
long sentence, fast pace, they have to return to harsh reality very soon
