The British Council in Croatia, together with the British Embassy and the Department of English in the Zagreb Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, ran a translation competition to mark the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns' birth. The contestants, students of English between the 2nd to the 4th grade of university, were asked to translate into Croatian a poem Burns wrote on his birthday entitled "On Hearing a Thrush Sing in a Morning Walk in January."  The jury, consisting of dr. Tatjana Jukić-Gregorić, dr. Ljiljana Ina Gjurgjan and Martina Domines from the Department of English, awarded first prize to student Vedran Glavaš for his effort. Vedran read out the winning translation during the Burns Supper at Okrugljak restaurant in Zagreb. Both Burns' original poem and Vedran's translation follow below.

Sonnet On Hearing A Thrush Sing

Sing on, sweet thrush, upon the leafless bough,
Sing on, sweet bird, I listen to thy strain,
See aged Winter, 'mid his surly reign,
At thy blythe carol, clears his furrowed brow.

Thus in bleak Poverty's dominion drear,
Sits meek Content with light, unanxious heart;
Welcomes the rapid moments, bids them part,
Nor asks if they bring ought to hope or fear.

I thank thee, Author of this opening day!
Thou whose bright sun now gilds yon orient skies!
Riches denied, thy boon was purer joys –
What wealth could never give nor take away!

But come, thou child of poverty and care,
The mite high heav'n bestow'd, that mite with thee I'll share.

[Burns’ original poem, with original spellings]

Po slušanju drozdove pjesme pri jutarnjoj šetnji

Pjevaj, drozde mili, nad goletnim lugom,
Pjevaj, ptico mila, osluškujem glas ti:
Vidi Zimi staroj, sred sumorne vlasti,
Radosna gdje pjesma blaži čelo grubo.

Pod samotne Bijede teški jaram pade
Ponizna Dostatnost i spokojna sjedi,
Prolazne trenutke tek pogledom slijedi,
I ne pita što su, strahovi il' nade.

Hvale tebi, Tvorče dana od spoznaje,
Istočna nebesa čije sunce zlati!
Ne davši bogatstva ti odabra dati
Nekupljive blagom vrednote čistije!

No priđi sad, dijete od bijede i skrbi,
Da dijelimo skupa što Nebo nam smrvi.