Live Encounters Poetry & Writing August 2025
The Boy, poems by Hassan Najmi.
Translated from Arabic by Dr. Salwa Gouda.
The Boy
Night in its white robe
I know not what it came to do by the balcony of drowsiness.
Here – where the boy lay, his hand resting
On a fresh, dappled texture.
Here – where a thicket of serpents and night engulfed him,
He slept, unaware he touched something black:
Like a fist of choking air in the artery,
Or like absence near a small hand.
Cupid
Her child sleeps now – while she rocks him.
Her voice is pure, murmuring rhymes and songs.
She drapes her braid over the lilies of his face,
Voicing no complaint to the cosmos.
Her child sleeps in her arms now – while she gazes
At his small statue, his quiver of endless arrows.
Stars gleam on marble of lamentation.
Bracelets, earrings, and enchantment tremble.
Princesses emptied their fruit baskets,
Crowned themselves, sat exchanging kisses and trills.
The house brims with perfumes, incense, and rosewater spray.
Candles were lit moments ago.
She knows not why these faces surround her,
Nor whence the winged angels came to tend to him.
Her child sleeps now – yet she still inhales
The scent turned sour upon his neck.
She insists he lives – though buried twenty centuries,
Twelve years, six months, and three nights past.
Likely she never saw them close his eyes.
Still she blankets his slumber with kisses.
Knowing Death has a scoundrel’s ambition –
She screams at them: “Do not wake him!”
© Hassan Najmi
Hassan Najmi (born 1960 in Ibn Ahmed, Settat Province) is a distinguished Moroccan poet, author, and journalist. He served as the President of the Union of Writers of Morocco from 1998 to 2005 and was the former head of the House of Poetry in Morocco. Additionally, he holds the position of President at the Moroccan Center for the International PEN Club and serves as the Secretary General of the Argana Prize for Poetry.
Najmi played a pivotal role in establishing the House of Poetry in Morocco in December 1995, alongside a group of fellow Moroccan poets. He was elected as its vice-president and spokesperson, contributing significantly to the promotion of poetry and literary culture in Morocco. His literary achievements have been recognized with numerous Arab and international awards, and his works have been translated into more than ten languages, reaching a global audience. Beyond his own writing, Najmi has also translated the poetic works of several renowned world poets into Arabic.
Translated by Dr. Salwa Gouda, who 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.