Ahmed Nabawi – The Stranger

Nabawi LE Arab P&W April 2025

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Live Encounters Arab Poetry & Writing April 2025

The Stranger, poem by Ahmed Nabawi.
Translated from Arabic by Dr. Salwa Gouda.


The Stranger

He used to think
—and dreaming is a right—
That he owned the world
That dreams were in his pocket
Unfolding before him the map of the world
He believed his solid will
Was stronger than any barriers or walls
He kept running, panting, from one racecourse
That stretched into another
But after his innocence faded
He realized that the vast homeland
Is not for the dreamers
The house is for the wealthy
And the sultan’s entourage
And victory is for the supporters.

He gathered his dreams in his hand
And set out, wandering its slopes, hope clinging to him
He searched for a land
Wide enough for his stride
And a clear sky
Where his stature could expand.

In exile
You are a stranger
So walk gently along the edges of space
If they sit
Sit at the end of the gathering
If they walk
Walk behind things
And tread on the sides of the street
Lest you wound the silence of the lights
Be cautious
So you don’t collide with their flow
Or the incoming one collides with you
For error follows you
As you are a stranger crowding their street.

When some passersby gathered around the corpse
As it oozed
And bled dreams onto the asphalt—
“Who is this?”
“This is a stranger
He collided with a passing car
He was muttering and raving
Pointing with his finger.”

In a worn-out notebook
—found in the pocket of his bundle—
We found nothing after searching
No address
No map
No names
We found nothing but a dream and a hope
A longing
Wounds
And a prayer.


© Ahmed Nabawi

Dr Salwa GoudaTranslated from Arabic by Dr Salwa Gouda. She is an accomplished Egyptian literary translator, critic, and academic affiliated with the English Language and Literature Department at Ain Shams University. Holding a PhD in English literature and criticism, Dr. Gouda pursued her education at both Ain Shams University and California State University, San Bernardino. She has authored several academic works, including Lectures in English Poetry and Introduction to Modern Literary Criticism, among others. Dr. Gouda also played a significant role in translating The Arab Encyclopedia for Pioneers, a comprehensive project featuring poets, philosophers, historians, and literary figures, conducted under the auspices of UNESCO. Recently, her poetry translations have been featured in a poetry anthology published by Alien Buddha Press in Arizona, USA. Her work has also appeared in numerous international literary magazines, further solidifying her contributions to the field of literary translation and criticism.

Ahmed Nabawi is an Egyptian poet and academic renowned for his exploration of humanitarian themes in his poetry. He embarked on his poetic journey in the early 1990s and has since published five collections: Testimony of LoveWounds Have TributariesFlames of QuestionsScenes from the Refugee Camp, The Flourishment of Colors and two forthcoming works titled An Ant Said and The Doors. Beyond his poetry, Nabawi has authored several critical books, including The Poet’s Culture and the Production of SignificanceThe Poetics of Small DetailsThe Contemplative Tendency in Andalusian Poetry, and The Heritage Tributaries in Andalusian Poetry.

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