Mirrors and Lenses

By Sharaf Alhourani

Mirrors and Lenses is a collection of Arabic and English poems.
In Mirrors, the reader will be able to review the poems’ original text, and their translations posted side by side.
In Lenses the reader will go through the thought process that framed the work of translation.

The Forest

Mohammed Almaghout

Tempting, are the words of goodbye

Tempting, tempting like poison

In the defeated leader’s palm

But it is dire, my love

It slams my head

Like lava slams the walls of a volcano

I say she's gone

Let her go

She isn’t more eternal than the massacres and the civilizations

However

Whenever I pack my bags and attempt to flee

Your love holds me like the arms of the dead

Like the mysterious curtains in the horror films

Who closed all these doors and windows...

and deserted my blood, lonely in the bare...

barking like a red-dog in the alleys of the human veins?

You

Who covered your skin with kisses...

and garnished it like Andalusian curtains...

with poetry and tears, the stabs of whips?

Me

Me and you my love

Freezing lumberjacks in a measurable forest

Each with a sharp axe

As sharp as swords

And strikes with it

a tree after the other

And a branch after the other without us realizing that this forest is ... "our love"

الغابة

محمد الماغوط

مغرية كلمات الوداع

مغرية ..مغرية كزجاجة السم

في راحة القائد المنهزم

ولكنها قاضية يا حبيبتي

إنها تضرب رأسي

كما تضرب الحمم جدار البركان

أقول ذهبت

فلتذهب

ليست أكثر خلودا من المذابح والحضارات

ولكن

كلما حزمت أمتعتي وحاولت الفرار

يقبض علي حبك كذراع الميت

كالستائر الغامضة في افلام الرعب

من أغلق كل هذه الأبواب والنوافذ

وترك دمي وحيدا العراء

ينبح كجروٍأحمر في أزقة العروق البشرية ؟

أنت

من كسى جلدكِ بالقبلات

وزينه كالستائر الأندلسية

بالشعر والدموع طعنات السياط ؟

أنا .

أنا وأنت يا حبيبتي

حطابان مقروران في غابة بائسة

كل منهما يحمل فاساً قاطعة

كحد السيف

ويهوي عليها شجرة بعد شجرة

وغصنا بعد غصن دون أن ندري أن هذه الغابة هي ..."حبنا "

Your Thing شيءك

By Sharaf Alhourani

Written in 2013, this poem was one of the first to be translated towards this book.
This work deals with the question ‘what becomes of lies, truth, deceit, perseverance, and unresolved demands for justice?’

on the side of your road it lurks

like a thing left there for a while

waiting for that hour

for that moment

for that time

a time when your conscious returns

to see what is around you

to be like them

and to raise your feet from your

imagination's clouds' disasters.

for your shadow to shout in grief "where have you taken me"

I want to return

I have the right to return

على حافة طريقك يتربص

كشيء مركون منذ زمن

ينتظر تلك الساعة

تلك اللحظة

ذاك الحين

حين يعد لك وعيك

لترى ما يرى حولك

لتصبح كهم

و لترفع قدماك من مصائب غمام خيالك

ليصرخ خيالك مناجي "أين أخذتني"

أنا أريد العودة

أنا أملك حق العودة.

يا حبيبي كلّما هبّ الهوا

وشَدا البلبل نجوى حُبِّهِ

لفّني الوجد وأضناني الهوى

كَفَراشٍ ليس يدري ما بِهِ

صُغْ لقلبي يا حبيبي حُلُم

من سنا الصبْح وغدر الغَلَسِ

لُمَّني من وَحْشَةِ العُمْرِ كَمَا

لمَّتْ النسمة عِطر النَرْجِسِ
***
يا زمان الحبِّ هل رُجْعَى إلى

عهدنا والروض زهرٌ يَبْسُمُ

ننهبُ الفرصة والليل حلا

بالأغاني ودَعانا الموسم

يوم جئناهُ فأبدى سَقَمَا
وتَهادى بحرير المَلْبَسِ

أشْرَقَتْ عيناهُ سحراً مثلما

يشرقُ الصُبْحُ بيومٍ مُشْمِسِ

My love every time the wind blew

And the bulbul chirped the monologue of his love

The passion of the heart twisted me and the winds of love ruffled me

Like butterflies oblivious to what’s at stake

Cast for my heart my love a dream

From the bright of daybreak and the dark of nightfall

Gather me from the alienation of the age like

The breeze gather the daffodil scent

***

To love past are we returned

Our time and the field is smiling flowers

Swag the chance and the night is delight

With songs us invited by the season

When we came to our lover appearing ill

Then floundered in silky clothing

His eyes brightened charm like

The morning glows on a sunny day

يا حبيبي كلّما هبّ الهوا

My Lover every time the wind blew

By The Two Rahabni Brothers

This poem written by the two Rahabani brothers, around 1960 is a classical example of the resilience of the Arabic tone in love and passion.

The Door On The Prairie

By William Lewis

باب المرعى

The introductory poem to Understanding Nothing by William Lewis.

An original set examining the imperfect human as a creation in itself.

Darkness is nothing. Which is no more than “no thing.”

Is that why you're sad?

My body drags and my heart aches because darkness is real.

How is nothing real, though?

Because the world has been gifted choice.

So, is ‘choice’ why you are sad?

Choice is a gift. A gift cannot make me sad.

So, how come you're sad?

My sadness comes from how effective the deception of darkness is.

Well, what does darkness look like?

Deceitful.

“الظلام عدم. وليس أكثر من مجرد ”لا شيئ

ألذا انت حزين؟

جسمي مجرور، و قلبي موجوع لأن الظلام حقيقي

لكن كيف يكون العدم حقيقي؟

لأن العالم وُهِبَ خيار.

إذاً هل الخيار هو ما يحزنك؟

.الخيار هبة، الهبة لا تحزنّي

اذا لما انت حزين؟

حزني ينبع من فعالية خداع الظلام.

حسناً، ما هو شكل الظلام؟

.مُضِلْ

A Brief History

By Sharaf Alhourani

This is a literary reduction of the past century in 10 lines, created by Sharaf for Daniel as to help him understand the context of the Arab current state of mind.

The poet suggests this poem be read from start to finish once, and then from finish to start as to truly understand the historic context of the lines.

2019–2010: the spring flowers were tortured.

2010–2000: the men eaters flung their filth at one another.

2000–1990: the pipeline is fixed and runs smoothly, carrying blood.

1990–1980: the plumber is called to fix the pipe-dream, clogged with the ash of the dead.

1980–1970: the cancer was diagnosed and the “cure” began—as bad as the disease.

1970–1960: the righteous dried like hopeless banana trees.

1960–1950: the containers of blood burst, filled, exhausted, with more than they could carry.

1950–1940: the uncles started to fall and die.

1940–1930: the music faded beneath the waves.

1930–1920: the ancient ship was destroyed.

1920–1910: the endless war began, again.

1910–1900: the ancient ship arrived in strange metal waters carrying a cargo of hope.

2020-2010: أزهارُ الرّبيعِ عُذِّبَتْ

2010-2000: أَكَلَةُ الرجال رَموا فضلاتهم على بعضهم البعض

2000-1990: الأنبوبُ مثبتٌ ويعملُ بنعومةٍ، يحملُ دماً

1990-1980: السَّبَّاكُ طُلِبَ ليصْلِح الحلمَ الانبوبي، مسدوداً برمادِ الموتى

1980-1970: السرطان شُخِّصَ و"العلاج" بدأ ـ بسوءِ المَرَض

1970-1960: الصوالح جفّوا كشجر موزٍ بلا أمل

1960-1950: حاوياتُ الدم طَفَحَت، امتلأت، أُرهِقَت، بأكثر مما في وسعها

1950-1940: الأَعمام بدؤوا بالتساقط و الموت

1940-1930: الموسيقى خَفَتَت تحت الامواج

1930-1920: السفينة العتيقة تحَطَّمَت

1920-1910: الحرب اللانهائية ابتدأت، مجدداً

1910-1900: السفينة العتيقة وصلت على مياه من المعدن غريبة تحمل شحنة أمل

Mirrors and Lenses

By Sharaf Alhourani

Mirrors and Lenses is a collection of Arabic and English poems.In Mirrors, the reader will be able to review the poems’ original text, and their translations posted side by side.In Lenses the reader will go through the thought process that framed the work of translation.

The Forest

Mohammed Almaghout

الغابة

محمد الماغوط

Your Thing شيءك

يا حبيبي كلّما هبّ الهوا

This poem written by the two Rahabani brothers, around 1960 is a classical example of the resilience of the Arabic tone in love and passion.

The Door On The Prairie

The introductory poem to Understanding Nothing by William Lewis.

A Brief History

This is a literary reduction of the past century in 10 lines, created by Sharaf for Daniel as to help him understand the context of the Arab current state of mind.

Mirrors and Lenses is a collection of Arabic and English poems.
In Mirrors, the reader will be able to review the poems’ original text, and their translations posted side by side.
In Lenses the reader will go through the thought process that framed the work of translation.