Live Encounters Arab Poetry & Writing 16th Anniversary Volume Five
November- December 2025
Lotus, poems by Amani Said Mahfouz.
Translated from Arabic by Dr. Salwa Gouda.
Lotus
I am a woman
I defied myself, first and foremost
And everything
I defied the thinking of my father, my brother, my husband, and my son
I defied my society and the situation in my country
I defied men and calamities
And words and actions
I defied sorrows
And heavy burdens
And being branded with vice
I defied society
And those who listen to a voice calling:
‘Choke women.’
I defied friends
The transient and the deceitful
The treacherous and the bullies
And the sarcastic ones asking… ‘Who are you…’
I defied illiteracy and resonant ignorance
And female circumcision rituals
And the deafness of ears.
I defied female infanticide and the old covenant
And sterile thought
And the burial ceremonies in a marriage to a family
Bound by ignorance to an old man with deep, grand pockets.
I defied honor crimes
And filth
And the mold pressing down on the breath of minds
And the manure transmitted
From generation to generation
Against women
In front of women… behind women
And around the epochs of a woman’s growth.
And here I am
That woman
And this woman
And within earshot and sight, I will remain
I will live
I will survive
I will dream
And I will defy
And I will fall only to rise.
*Lotus is an ancient Egyptian flower, a symbol of resistance and revival.
The Alchemy of Existence
Disappear
Let go of yourself, your mind
Forget your rough striving on the road of life.
Purify your soul from what is within you
And with it, dissolve into the Necessity
Within the alchemy of existence
Leave behind what is perceptible in life
And ascend upward.
And beware lest you awaken before you touch the sky
And live the stages of completion
And become, with your soul, a symbol of good and beauty.
Forget boundaries
Forget speech
Forget blame
Forget who you are
And where you came from
And where you were and where you have become.
Keep your hands always warm with love
And giving, with an affectionate pat, an embrace and life.
Be an incense that, when lit, gives birth to fragrance
And gives birth to joy
Give birth to joy
Even the birth of happiness is permissible for males.
Free your life from anger
Forgive and forgive
Be forgiving
Tomorrow, forgive, and after tomorrow forgive
And regarding what has passed, say ‘it is forgiven’
And be beautiful.
Feel that everything is beautiful
Embrace beauty as if you
Are a part of it, and it too is a part of you
And be beautiful.
Not with your appearance
Not with your clothes
Not with your age
But with what you carry inside of you of love
Bit by bit, you will find your essence, be beautiful
And be beautiful.
Liberate your imprisoned feelings
Those they called malicious
And repressed
And cheap
Cheapness is always in what the soul did not desire
And did not buy except for worthless goods
And you have no price
Nor cost.
Enter the temples of hope
And sanctify all the gifts
That God has bestowed upon you
And be hope.
If you want hope, plant hope
If you want beauty, plant beauty
If you want to love, give love
If you wish for good, distribute in good
If you wish for joy, begin with joy
Be peace… be hope… a dream fulfilled
Speak words that are sweetly filled
Always end with musk’s gentle scent
And shower all with love heaven-sent
As God is love.
© Amani Said Mahfouz
Amani Said Mahfouz is an Egyptian poet, storyteller, theater actress, and director. She is also the founder of “Dafair” (Braids), a women’s troupe that stages her poetry through innovative theatrical performances.
Dr Salwa Gouda 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.