Live Encounters Arab Poetry & Writing April 2025
There are two palm trees, one of which resides in the heart! –
story by Sherif Kandil.
Translated from Arabic by Dr. Salwa Gouda.
Inside our home stands a palm tree that is now taller than me and my older siblings … My father passed away while it stood tall, offering solace, and my mother passed away while it wept… Perhaps its tears were for the beauty of its tenderness, patience, and grace! In front of that large palm tree, about ten meters to the south, stands our smaller palm tree. The difference between them is that the first is perhaps the only one in Egypt that stands inside a modern house in the architectural sense, while the second stands outside! Because of this, we have always treated the large palm tree with great affection and even greater respect. No one would pick up a stone or a brick to throw at it, as children often do when they crave a date or two neither from inside the house nor from outside! Moreover, none of us ever attempted to climb it using the internal staircase of the house to the second floor, then stand on the wall it leans against, and complete the rest of the task to reach the cluster filled with dates!
The palm tree, with its roots deep in the annals of history, leans against the wall of the house, yet we have never seen or heard of any cracks or fissures, nor have we ever felt any danger to us or the house, no matter how strong the winds! On the contrary, it distributes its dense fronds during the rain, so that only a little falls on the floor of the area it occupies in the “stairwell” adjacent to the kitchen!
I had learned to climb palm trees, practiced it, and done it with the small palm tree, which is no longer small. It surprised us and grew to about thirty meters tall, yet it never became arrogant or haughty. Its fronds continued to cast pollen toward the large palm tree! I would feel ashamed and think a thousand times before declaring my preference for the dates of the small palm tree over the large one, especially when wasps swarm around it, turning it into dates! And my mother never ceased to talk about the beauty and taste of the dates from the large palm tree, which fell from it and land willingly on the marble path leading to the kitchen.
My mother’s talk about the large palm tree reminded me of my teacher Abdel Fattah El-Gamal’s words when he declared that nothing in a palm tree goes to waste. It knows no futility; it has made its cheek a step for people, its heart a source of food and drink, its body a shelter, clothing, passage, fuel, and warmth, its extremities tools and ornaments adorned with the shade of decorations from its day illuminated by brilliant light, and its fronds a refuge, rituals, shade, song, and a protective veil!
Now, whenever the topic of rebuilding our large house comes up, I am overwhelmed by confusion and anxiety for our large palm tree. How will the architect or builder deal with it?! We learned from it and with it the meaning of generosity, kindness, and beauty, even before we stepped into the expanse of life! As we grew a little older, we learned through it the value of the palm frond and young palms. It quenches the heart of the traveler among us and revives with us the beloved who returns… It bends in sorrow for the departure of our mother and father, and leans to express joy, delight, and happiness with every newborn!
The palm tree, which has become a living entity in our lives, taught us the meaning of ascent, without it being on the shoulders of others! And that on your path upward, you must remain humble, exercise caution, and after completing your task on the ground, you must avoid falling into pits! Imagination and the beauty of visual images thought and mental movement, majestic existence, polished fronds, joy in expression, and deliberation in what you say and what you do not say!
In truth, because of my proximity to them, even though they are in our house and not on the Nile shore, I almost heard what the wind says to the palms! Our large palm tree bends during a storm, leaning tenderly against the wall, absorbing its sorrow, shielding us from its fear, and hiding it in the sound of its fronds! Meanwhile, the small palm tree stands to reflect the morning sunlight on the faces of the girls and boys, and at night, it becomes a balcony for the moon and the stars that never sleep!
Childhood memories reside in the heart of its dates, the secrets of our home in the heart of its core, the breeze of our longing in its blossoms, and our allegiance to truth and pride in its formation… Glory to the One who placed it in our home and made it rise, soar, and retain its love for us! A rising frond and a beautiful imprint, and dates that no seller has ever bought or sold!
I began to contemplate the beauty of our small palm tree, which used to carry me and my big dreams to a higher horizon, so I would climb and fly as if I were holding the birds of paradise! And when I turned to its big sister, I remembered how it was and still is, refusing to play on ropes, hating “fas” (splitting) and all “half-half” solutions! It is the large palm tree in everything… the warmth of familiarity, the abundance of joy, and a beauty I have never seen the likes of!
© Sherif Kandil
Translated 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.
Sherif Kandil (born 1960) is an acclaimed Egyptian journalist and a distinguished member of both the British and Egyptian Journalists Syndicates. Renowned for his exceptional work in journalism, he was honored with the Arab Journalism Award for Best Journalistic Interviews. Beyond his journalistic achievements, Kandil is also a prolific author, having penned several notable books, including: On the Chairs of Tyrants, Evidence of Beauty in the Travel Notebook, A Letter to My Grandson Zain, Shadow, Departure, and the Nile, The Story of a Boy in the Gardens of Letters. Through his writings and interviews, Kandil has made significant contributions to Arab journalism and literature, earning a reputation for his insightful perspectives and eloquent storytelling.