Live Encounters Poetry & Writing Volume Six November-December 2024.
Arab Poets & Writers
The dead are asleep, poems by Wadi’ Sa’adah.
Translated from Arabic by Dr. Salwa Gouda.
The Dead Are Asleep
They were naked
And had children
Who tickled their hair in the evening
And slept
They were naked and simple
Sweating all day while smiling
On their return, they stood before the shop windows
Measuring with their eyes clothes for their children
And walked
They took two steps forward and touched
The tree trunks before the dawn breeze
And under their gazes, branches bear fruit
In the snow of January
And their sickles longed for the fields
And the air between the villages was always ready for their call
When suddenly their wheat turned into ribs
And the breeze became grass growing on their bodies
They were naked
And the sun every evening
Would return its light silk cover
To their souls.
Companions
You have enough memories
To have companions with you on this stone
Sit down
And entertain them with stories
For they, like you, have grown old
And are bored
Tell them the tale of distances
That no matter how far they walk
Remain in their place
Tell them about the jinn that devour the children of the heart
About the heart that no matter how pregnant
It remains barren
Speak to them about the grass that has eyes
And about the blind dust
About the winds that wanted to say something
But did not
And about the small white butterfly that knocked on your door that winter
To enter and warm itself
You have companions on this stone
Do not let them get bored
Tell them about the sheep without a shepherd
And about the shepherd without sheep
About the shepherd who was lost and the sheep that know the way
Tell them the story of the wolf
And the story of the lark
And the story of the ghoul
And if these have no stories, then invent them
Invent stories
Invent wolves, jinn, sheep, shepherds, and butterflies
Your companions, like you, have grown old
And sit on a small stone
Invent distances for them.
© Wadi’ Sa’adah
Wadi’ Sa’adah is a Lebanese poet )1948(born in the village of Shabtin in northern Lebanon. He has published over eight diwans. Some of his works have been translated into German, English, French, Spanish, and Italian, and he is regarded as one of the most prominent poets of free verse in the Arab world.
Salwa Gouda is an Egyptian literary translator, critic, and academic at the English Language and Literature Department at Ain-Shams University. She holds a PhD in English literature and criticism. She received her education at Ain-Shams University and California State University in San Bernardino. Furthermore, she has published several academic books, including Lectures in English Poetry and introduction to Modern Literary Criticism, and others. She has also contributed to the translation of “The Arab Encyclopedia for Pioneers,” which includes poets, philosophers, historians, and men of letters, under the supervision of UNESCO. Also, her translated poetry anthology, entitled Dogs Pass Through My Fingers, was published recently through Alien Buddha Press in Arizona, USA. Additionally, her literary translations have been published in various international magazines.