Live Encounters Poetry & Writing July 2024
Halfway, poems by Abdelaziz Gwaida.
Translated from Arabic by Dr. Salwa Gouda.
Halfway
I have lived hating halfway
All my life
And I have no middle
I am an extreme lover
And my love is impossible to stop
Don’t ask the flood in its revolutions
How many bridges it demolished on the way here
And how many it destroyed
Don’t ask the hurricane in its rotation
What it shattered or broke when it swept
What a pity!
All my history is a series of compulsion
All my days are filled with passion
My death in your eyes was the greatest pursuit
I fought wars and won them
I won honor
I am that Sufi starting my journey
I am a lover but in a different way
I am a monk praying
In the shadow of my sanctuary
So when I reach the pinnacle of love after the end
My heart played…
This is a farewell in love
I have lived hating halfway
All my life
And I have no middle
I am an extreme lover
And my love is impossible to stop
Don’t ask the flood in its revolutions
How many bridges it demolished on the way here
And how many it destroyed
Don’t ask the hurricane in its rotation
What it shattered or broke when it swept
What a pity!
All my history is a series of compulsion
All my days are filled with passion
My death in your eyes was the greatest pursuit
I fought wars and won them
I won honor
I am that Sufi starting my journey
I am a lover but in a different way
I am a monk praying
In the shadow of my sanctuary
So when I reach the pinnacle of love after the end
My heart played…
So direct your words towards them
In every single letter of the alphabet
Repeat and get lost in love like a parrot
The feelings of femininity always differ
And they can smell sincerity from miles away
She may follow someone for a time
And then exposes him
At any time if she wants
The knowledge of femininity is vast
But the allure of love can tempt the foolish
You who want to catch a gazelle
From a well of water
Wipe your tears and pay attention to me once
After praying for all the prophets
How many have been killed in the name of love
They did what you hoped to do
They were all killed without exception
Do not trust a gazelle in her love or hatred
And see here, because of her love
How many are drowning in the water.
© Abdelaziz Gwaida
Abdelaziz Gwaida (1961) is a well-known Egyptian poet. He has published more than twelve poetry collections and most of his works have been translated into English.
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.