September’s Blessing by Gha’eb Hawas translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Blessed are they who penned your dawn and set it free, And walked ahead so you, O September, could live in victory. Blessed are they, and your eternity is bound in their name, For none like them, or you, will history ever claim. O …
Fear by Yemeni poet, Abdullah Al-Baradouni translated by Hatem Al-Shamea These new lies A death with countless hands, Spreading nests and queues, Tall buildings that expand… Falling… and swiftly, They don the face of a martyr, Or the youth of a martyred maiden, Borrowing the lament, And donning the flesh of the poem. They …
Do Not Complain to Others of a Wound You Bear by Karim Al-Iraqi translated by Hatem Al-Shamea
Behind the Rays by Mohammed Hasan Al-Quzahi translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Behind the Rays they run, on soil untouched, chasing the hunt of the field. They weave medals from the wrinkles of a familiar face, and a familiar voice. They master the art of movement, behind the rays, gathering echoes of rumors. In the …
The Anguish of a Poem by Entesar Hasan translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Gently, my love, for your coldness has undone me, I’ve come to pour out my torment and my sorrow. My womanhood was freed from the prison of its loneliness, As the scent of my perfume intoxicated my garments. You’ve wounded my heart, …
The Journey by Mohammed Al-Shahat translated by Hatem Al-Shamea The dervish gazed upon the minaret, Imagining how many angels Descended upon it. He felt the echoes of the call to prayer, And saw a door open, Angels descending, And demons hastening their steps to hide. His eyes filled with a light Mingling with another …
Do Not Seek the Purpose in My Words by Zain Al-Abidin Al-Dubaibi translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Do not seek the purpose in my words, For darkness has consumed my fingers and my tongue. The years plunder moments from me, Forcibly, and their cup overflows with my tears. This bitter smoke is the …
Do Not Seek the Purpose in My Words – Zain Al-Abidin Al-Dubaibi Read More »
When Pain Slumbers by Eman Al-Saeedi translated by Hatem Al-Shamea (1) The chemistry of the universe, Bodies of pallor. There, Where the green face of humanity withers Like the veins of an aged wind. (2) In an existence of anxiety, Half of it blood, and half of it whiteness. For the fragility of …
Oh, dwellers on the shelf of absence by Naji Atayh translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Oh, dwellers on the shelf of absence, is it not Time for your return, after this long neglect? Long have we stood upon the reasons for your return, Our spirits behind us, savoring the pain. How long shall …
The Garment of a Lonely Birth by Eman Al-Saeedi translated by Hatem Al-Shamea The Garment of a Lonely Birth To my dear homeland. Do not wear out the garment of our only birth.. Thus, I imagine my one true friend whispering in my ear. My friend, Whose heart distances have …
Here and Now by Mahmoud Darwish translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Here, among the fragments of something And nothing, we live On the outskirts of eternity. Sometimes, we play chess, and we do not Care about the fates beyond the door. We are still here Building from the ruins Dovecotes of lunar pigeons. …
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 …
Melody of Femininity by/ Entesar Hasan translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Melody of Femininity With the melody of my femininity, soothe me For you have caused my clamor Like a storm, you swept through me Oh, the ruin of my realms What is the solution, my love? You have scattered my things! Please, solve my …
**Poem** by/ Nabilah Al-Sheikh translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Poem Now I hold The soul of the poem Now I can grasp In the surge of poetry That rare essence The poetry will pour forth Without care And I become a vast airport For the seagulls to ascend from me And descend into me I …
Let Me Embrace Hope in You By Hussein Abdulrahman Basunbul & Sung by Karama Mersal translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Oh, let me embrace hope in you, And sing a song of victory anew, I’ll send the joy of my life’s embrace, To kiss the dawn upon your face. A heart that loves …
A Wandering Café by Mohyee Addin Jarma translated by Hatem Al-Shamea A Wandering Café In your land, even the pebbles bloom, Springs welling from their core. Birds beckon with their gentle swoop, Dew whispers: “Photograph – the old home’s wall.” I see summer like silence, laid to rest On a bed of sand …
A Friend by Nabilah Al-Sheikh translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Oh, be my friend, In times of silence, when words fail to express, When thoughts swirl within, like a tempest’s caress. Oh, be my friend, A confidant true, with a heart open wide, Where secrets reside, in a haven of pride. Oh, be …
Stripped of Power by Mohammed Al-Shahat translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Stripped of Power I resisted my weakness As I watched my eye, Spinning over women’s breasts And charms emerging without restraint From garments that revealed more than they concealed Declaring its desire Raising banners of lust To invade your feelings, to rise …
In Dawn’s Embrace, Whispers of Love In dawn’s embrace, where zephyrs kiss the dew, I pour my light, my fragrance, and my smile anew. My heartbeat echoes, yearnings intertwine, Embraces tender, blessings yours and mine. Wherever you may wander, my heart holds you near, In every thought, your presence ever clear. If messages …
In Dawn’s Embrace, Whispers of Love – Abdullah Abdulwahab Naoman Read More »
A Bowing in the Realm of Longing By Ahmed Al-Ma’rassi translated by Hatem Al-Shamea I. The throne of beauty is the radiance of your beauty And the moon is a meaning for your perfection Your dew is the first surprise In the unknown, the paths are obscure Your meanings have exhausted …
A Bowing in the Realm of Longing – Ahmed Al-Ma’rassi Read More »
If Time Throws Evil at You translated by Hatem Al-Shamea If time throws evil at you And life in your world becomes bitter, Do not worry about your situation, but remember How much of your life you spent in good deeds? And if the earth becomes narrow for you one day And …
A Traveling Cafe In your land, even the pebbles bloom In its springs. And the birds beckon with their lightness. The dew said: “For photography – The old house wall.” I see summer lying in silence In a bed of sand and water on the sea, The teacher forgets his chalk cloud In the pot. …
In Proof that I Am Not Dead A year will pass In proof that I have not lived A year has passed On the steps of a sparrow in the shade With no nest But escape, with its feathers scattered I tried, smiling To bid the world farewell All the evidence points not to the …
In Proof that I Am Not Dead – Yaseen Al-Bukali – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
The night, a café of memories, On its windows condenses The vapor of longing, Breathing joy, Metaphors of silence… ______ The night, a café of memories, Gazes surreptitiously at me, A mid-spring moon In the midst of the sky, The white thread sparkles… ______ The night, a café of memories, Weighs heavily on me, The …
The night, a café of memories – Asma’a Al-Shaibani – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
Eid O night, tomorrow Celebrates my homeland, What is there now in your canopy, For the eyes of my homeland? Red stars and tears, And a lifetime in the shards, The ruins and sacrifices, The muezzin And the praying ones, Remnants upon remnants. And I, for the dawn, O night, call out, Tomorrow, O night, …
Eid – Nabilah Al-Sheikh – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
**Balm** Why did they say? Love won’t return Another time Like friendship Then they said It’s a memory of a wound Twisting And sees the tremor of a heart With its aspirations cautiously observed It will long for The tear of the eye for a memory Folded, wounded And constrained They lied Something like light …
Balm – Nabilah Al-Sheikh – trans: Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
Violet Roses cascade, Bearing the weight of the alphabet, With tales echoed, Of sins yet to come, Of burdens to bear. They carry their shimmer, And this letter returns, Playing a gentle melody, Unveiling a window, To sing, At the wound’s inception, To seal the wound, A bleeding of violet hue. I was not Layla, …
Violet – Nabilah Al-Sheikh – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
Here I Am They see me with a smiling face, and pleasant, They see my words bleeding, in pain they suffer. The ignorant ones say, “He vacillates,” The lovers say, “He is infatuated.” Some say, “He is arrogant,” While others say, “He is enigmatic, unfathomable.” Yet, none of them know That within me resides a …
Here I Am – Esa Al-Azab – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
An Evening of Bliss An evening of bliss, oh how I adore, Where the heartbeat of longing forever soars. For you, I lay a velvet night’s embrace, And the waterfall of stars cascades with grace. My heart unveils the depths of my love, Knocking on sorrow’s door, mindful of the rough. Yet my tongue falters, …
An Evening of Bliss – Entesar Hasan – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
Gone, what’s gone And the sidewalk persists To the depths of my heart, bleeding flows I try to remember something of life Something about love on a summer starry night Did I have a homeland and a beloved? Why am I above this sidewalk? I waited and exaggerated in waiting My expectations were surpassed I …
Gone, What’s Gone – Fatima Al-Ashabi. Trans: Hatem Al-Shamea Read More »
