Ends
She made sense of your past
She lifted the weight of the present
in an instant
When she came,
light dawned
.......
A ladder for lost birds
tossed in the winds,
or splayed on the grill -
their smothered cooing
their withering wings
their dismembered craws
A ladder
that steals light from a tear
for a candle embracing its loneliness
.......
The sad afternoon settles near her
close to hand
She toys with scents and meanings
A train travels down the tunnel of a lifetime
and the streets of your childhood fade into the distance
Something tossed on a chair
makes you linger -
the scent of her tea
her fruitful laughter
Another woman crosses your absence
and the rest pass by
As you strain to listen
it goes right through you -
a solitary nail
hammered in a wall
The literal translation of this poem was made by Atef Alshaer
The final translated version of the poem is by Sarah Maguire
Listen to a reading of this poem in English and the original language on the player below or download it to keep (MP3).
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© Poetry Translation Centre 2004-2013
fadumo says:
what a lovely poem!!! hopefully someone can help me with the true understanding of this great poem:D
aya says:
soo nice