Live Encounters Poetry & Writing February 2024.
From my current state of heart, poem by Ahmad Al-Shahawy.
Translated from Arabic by Dr. Salwa Gouda.
From my current state of heart
From my current state of heart, I closed my mind
I said, oh Sea, where are you?
From the eye of my eyes, I closed my eyes
And no one saw me except you
Take my compassionate spirit that is about to Depart
And go to my soul, nothing is there
Except you
My whole adores my entirety
And some of me is from you
Give me back my old condition, I am lost
And there is no arrival without you
Tell my beloved that if myself
Transcend for me
And I tasted death, it is from you
Every day I see you
And the face of myself from you
When the sea of my consciousness appeared
My ship docked and you melted
I said to the water, my love
My death is life, and you are the
© Ahmad Al-Shahawy
Ahmad Al-Shahawy is an Egyptian poet and the author of more than 20 books and poetry collections. His poems have been translated into many languages, including French, Italian, English, Turkish and Spanish. He participated in many international poetry festivals organized in many countries of the world. Al-Shahawy was also the recipient of the UNESCO Literature Award in 1995 and the Cavafy Poetry Award in 1998. Four of his literary works are nominated in the long list of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in the branch of literature, including his novel The Magician’s Hijab 2022. Also, recently, Lavender Ink / Diálogos published Al-Shahawy’s poetry anthology entitled Alone by the Nile, 2023.
Translated from Arabic by Dr. Salwa Gouda. She 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. 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 and their poetry, philosophers, historians, and men of letters, under the supervision of UNESCO. Additionally, her poetry translations have been published in various international magazines.