Featured Poems

Portrait of Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi

Everything

written by Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi
translated by Sarah Maguire

Let the wind blow from a fisherman's mouth,
from the span of a sail to the shell of a boat,

كلُّ شَيْءْ

إطلق الرّيحَ من فَمِ الصيَّادِ
إلى هيكلِ المُرْكَبِ ، من عُمْقِ الشراعِ

Portrait of Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac 'Gaarriye'

Self-misunderstood

written by Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac 'Gaarriye'
translated by W N Herbert

I can't understand you, curious self,
nor grasp how you're both life and death,

Garaad-daran

Garaad-daran naftaydaay!
Geeri iyo nololeey!

Portrait of Kajal Ahmad

Birds

written by Kajal Ahmad
translated by Mimi Khalvati

According to the latest classification, Kurds
now belong to a species of bird

The title of the poem titled Birds

The first two lines of the poem titled Birds

Welcome

Welcome to The Poetry Translation Centre’s website. We’re a small organisation dedicated to translating contemporary poetry from Africa, Asia and Latin America. On these pages you’ll be able to read our translations and find out more about us.

News

  • 07/09/2008 World Poets' Tour 2008

    Following the extraordinary success of the first World Poets’ Tour in 2005, the Poetry Translation Centre has organised its second World Poets’ Tour which begins on Sunday 7th September at the Bristol Poetry Festival.

  • 07/09/2008 Poetry in Translation - W. N. Herbert and Sarah Maguire at the Bristol Poetry Festival

    To kick of our 2008 World Poets' Tour, W N Herbert and Sarah Maguire will be appearing at the Bristol Poetry Festival on Sunday 7th September to talk about their experiences of translating the works of Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi and Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac ('Gaarriye').

  • 11/06/2008 Workshop on Tajik Poetry: Farzaneh Khojandi, 11th June

    For the third in our series of workshops concerning our upcoming World Poets' Tour, we were joined by Jo Shapcott and Narguess Farzad for a fascinating discussion about their translations of poems by Farzaneh Khojandi from Tajikistan.

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