Latest News:
  • Welcome to ALT Magazine & Press: Hazawi Prize Announces 2023 Shortlist: (Sana'a, Yemen) - The shortlist for the 2023 Hazawi Prize for Yemeni Literature has been revealed, announcing the ten writers who have been selected as finalists for this prestigious award.
  • Now in its second yearly round, the Hazawi Prize recognizes exceptional contributions to fiction in Yemeni literature. Organized by the Hazawi Cultural Foundation, this annual prize aims to promote Yemeni literature and support creative writers.
  • This year's shortlist features both emerging and renowned Yemeni authors. The ten works advancing to the final round of judging are:
  • - Abdullah Faisal shortlisted for his novel, Spirits and Secrets.
  • - Aisha Saleh shortlisted for her novel, Under the Ashes
  • - Farouk Merish shortlisted for his novel, A Dignified Stranger
  • - Ahmed Ashraf shortlisted for his novel, A Painful Belt
  • - Ghassan Khalid shortlisted for his novel, A Sky that Rains Fear
  • - Hosam Adel shortlisted for his novel, The Lord of the Black Dog
  • - Asmaa Abdulrazak shortlisted for her novel, Shrapnels
  • - Abdullah Abdu Muhammad shortlisted for his novel, The Road to Sana'a
  • - Najah Bahkeim shortlisted for her novel, The Final Decision
  • - Samir AbdulFattah shortlisted for her novel, What We Cannot See
  • The winner will be revealed at an award ceremony in Sana'a later where they will receive $1,500 USD. Second and third prizes of $1,000 USD each will also be awarded. All shortlisted works are celebrated for chronicling Yemen's rich culture and wartime experiences. This prestigious prize continues highlighting the nation's thriving literary community.

A Homeland for a Bleeding Rose

A Homeland for a Bleeding Rose

 

by Eman Al-Saeedi

translated by Hatem Al-Shamea

 

A Homeland for a Bleeding Rose

In my homeland,

The fragrance bleeds like the eye of a needle.

The needle that knits the garment of the moment, sings.

It sings like a nun bathing for her prayers, then bowing to the sunset.

 

Behold,

Heavens gaze from a narrow balcony, like an ocean.

A wave weeps its blueness, like a rebel gathering his voice.

The elated unknown like death, searching for a hymn to propagate as cloud, bullet,

And perhaps a grave expanding for tragedy.

 

The distances of Jordan,

Saturated with love. There, two lovers exchange scented words,

Like missives, the nectar of a kiss, and a white embrace.

While the homeland planting the virtue of light, sits in darkness.

 

In the rubble,

Images beg for speech.

The stray clouds in the horizon, scatter.

Scatter, and the pulse of cities, a wailing wind.

The wind that peels the body of civilizations, ignites the eye of gunpowder.

 

“`

Can it then wither in the palm of a homeland of roses?

“`

 

In Proof that I Am Not Dead – Yaseen Al-Bukali – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Shopping Cart