Our magazine
Arabic Lit. & Trans. Magazine
September’s Blessing
September’s Blessing by Gha’eb Hawas translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Blessed are they who penned your dawn and set it free, …
Fear – Yemeni poet, Abdullah Al-Baradouni
Fear by Yemeni poet, Abdullah Al-Baradouni translated by Hatem Al-Shamea These new lies A death with countless hands, Spreading nests …
Do Not Complain to Others of a Wound You Bear
Do Not Complain to Others of a Wound You Bear by Karim Al-Iraqi translated by Hatem Al-Shamea …
Behind the Rays
Behind the Rays by Mohammed Hasan Al-Quzahi translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Behind the Rays they run, on soil untouched, chasing …
The Anguish of a Poem
The Anguish of a Poem by Entesar Hasan translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Gently, my love, for your coldness has undone …
The Journey – Mohammed Al-Shahat
The Journey by Mohammed Al-Shahat translated by Hatem Al-Shamea The dervish gazed upon the minaret, Imagining how many angels Descended …
Ahmed Ali Al-Hamdani: A Distinguished Scholar and Literary Figure
Ahmed Ali Al-Hamdani: A Distinguished Scholar and Literary Figure Professor Ahmed Ali Al-Hamdani is one of the most prominent researchers, …
Do Not Seek the Purpose in My Words – Zain Al-Abidin Al-Dubaibi
Do Not Seek the Purpose in My Words by Zain Al-Abidin Al-Dubaibi translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Do not seek the …
When Pain Slumbers
When Pain Slumbers by Eman Al-Saeedi translated by Hatem Al-Shamea (1) The chemistry of the universe, Bodies of pallor. There, …
Oh, Dwellers on the Shelf of Absence
Oh, dwellers on the shelf of absence by Naji Atayh translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Oh, dwellers on the shelf of …
The Garment of a Lonely Birth
The Garment of a Lonely Birth by Eman Al-Saeedi translated by Hatem Al-Shamea The Garment of a Lonely Birth To …
Here and Now – Mahmoud Darwish
Here and Now by Mahmoud Darwish translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Here, among the fragments of something And nothing, we live …
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 …
Melody of Femininity
Melody of Femininity by/ Entesar Hasan translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Melody of Femininity With the melody of my femininity, soothe …
Exile – Nabiha Mahdur
Exile By Nabiha Mahdur The borders closed, and he found himself trapped, a wanderer on the sidewalk of exile, begging …
The Curse – by Nabiha Mahdur
The Curse By Nabiha Mahdur Translated by Hatem Al-Shamea She retreated to a secluded spot, concealing the turmoil that churned …
Shatha Shawki Hasan Al-Khateeb
Shatha Shawki Hasan Al-Khateeb ”’Shatha Shawki Hasan Al-Khateeb”’ (born February 24, 1975) is a Yemeni novelist, short story writer and …
Let Me Embrace Hope in You
Let Me Embrace Hope in You By Hussein Abdulrahman Basunbul & Sung by Karama Mersal translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Oh, …
A Wandering Café – Mohyee Addin Jarma
A Wandering Café by Mohyee Addin Jarma translated by Hatem Al-Shamea A Wandering Café In your land, even the pebbles …
A Friend – Nabilah Al-Sheikh
A Friend by Nabilah Al-Sheikh translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Oh, be my friend, In times of silence, when words fail …
Stripped of Power
Stripped of Power by Mohammed Al-Shahat translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Stripped of Power I resisted my weakness As I watched …
In Dawn’s Embrace, Whispers of Love – Abdullah Abdulwahab Naoman
In Dawn’s Embrace, Whispers of Love In dawn’s embrace, where zephyrs kiss the dew, I pour my light, my fragrance, …
The Priest’s Vision – Ahmed Abdo
The Priest’s Vision! by Ahmed Abdo translated by Hatem Al-Shamea My problem was with the time factor, as every minute …
Nadia Al-Kawkabani
Nadia Yahya Hussein Al-Kawkabani Academic, Writer, and Human Rights and Political Activist. Biography: Nadia Yahya Hussein Al-Kokbani is a Yemeni …
A Bowing in the Realm of Longing – Ahmed Al-Ma’rassi
A Bowing in the Realm of Longing By Ahmed Al-Ma’rassi translated by Hatem Al-Shamea I. The throne of beauty is …
If Time Throws Evil at You
If Time Throws Evil at You translated by Hatem Al-Shamea If time throws evil at you And life in your …
Ruined Appointments – Arafat Musleh
Ruined Appointments by Arafat Musleh translated by Hatem Al-Shamea He entered the bar slowly, late for his usual arrival time …
In the Reverie of Dreams
In the Reverie of Dreams Ayoub’s Journey Between a Dreamy Introspection and Daydream By Abdallah M. El-Zoubi* In the …
Standing as One
Standing as One by Hatem Al-Shamea Sami scrolled through the heartbreaking photos on his phone – emaciated children bombed out …
Whispering Discs – Ahmed Abdo
Whispering Discs a short story by Ahmed Abdo translated by Hatem Mohammed Al-Shamea The night of the village was like …
A Man in the Dark – Saeed Mohammed Al-Hammadi
A Man in the Dark a short story by Saeed Mohammed Al-Hammadi translated by Hatem Al-Shamea He rose from his …
A Traveling Cafe – Muhyee Addin Jarmah
A Traveling Cafe In your land, even the pebbles bloom In its springs. And the birds beckon with their lightness …
Mubarak Al-Yadoumi
Mubarak Al-Yadoumi – Yemeni Poet and Novelist Dr. Mubarak Ali Ahmed Al-Hamadi Al-Yadoumi (born July 8, 1986) is a Yemeni …
A New Home – Nabila Al-Sheikh – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea
A New Home He moved with his beloved from that suffocating situation, and the smells that used to give him …
In Proof that I Am Not Dead – Yaseen Al-Bukali – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea
In Proof that I Am Not Dead A year will pass In proof that I have not lived A year …
Map of Sorrow and Wind – Ahmed Abdo – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea
Map of Sorrow and Wind Author: Ahmed Mohamed Abdo – Egypt Translated by Hatem Al-Shamea Geography: Perhaps this patch is …
The night, a café of memories – Asma’a Al-Shaibani – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea
The night, a café of memories, On its windows condenses The vapor of longing, Breathing joy, Metaphors of silence… ______ …
Eid – Nabilah Al-Sheikh – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea
Eid O night, tomorrow Celebrates my homeland, What is there now in your canopy, For the eyes of my homeland? …
Peaches – by Nabilah Al-Sheikh – trans: Hatem Al-Shamea
Peaches My grandmother, with her slender figure brimming with vitality, her wide glasses partially concealing her tender features, her lone …
Surprise – by Nabilah Al-Sheikh – trans: Hatem Al-Shamea
Surprise For a stretch of time, he had been circling around me, and I, consumed by my own concerns, scarcely …
Balm – Nabilah Al-Sheikh – trans: Hatem Al-Shamea
**Balm** Why did they say? Love won’t return Another time Like friendship Then they said It’s a memory of a …
Violet – Nabilah Al-Sheikh – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea
Violet Roses cascade, Bearing the weight of the alphabet, With tales echoed, Of sins yet to come, Of burdens to …
Here I Am – Esa Al-Azab – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea
Here I Am They see me with a smiling face, and pleasant, They see my words bleeding, in pain they …
Shawi on The Internet – Maha Salah . trans. Hatem Al-Shamea
Shawi on The Internet He was met with a flurry of photographers and journalists from international media outlets, all asking …
An Evening of Bliss – Entesar Hasan – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea
An Evening of Bliss An evening of bliss, oh how I adore, Where the heartbeat of longing forever soars. For …
Fear – Nabilah Al-Sheikh – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea
Fear I asked him, “How old are you?” He replied, “Seven years.” As I watched, a bare-chested child wearing shabby, …
Behind the Walls of Memory – Suhair Assamman – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea
Behind the Walls of Memory The fifty-year-old woman enters the room, holds a glass of milk in her hand, and …
The Gravedigger – Sameer Abdelfattah – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea
The Gravedigger “It is not easy to become a gravedigger.” With these words, Abdul Mujoud concluded his long talk with …
Gone, What’s Gone – Fatima Al-Ashabi. Trans: Hatem Al-Shamea
Gone, what’s gone And the sidewalk persists To the depths of my heart, bleeding flows I try to remember something …
The Studio – Nabilah Al-Sheikh – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea
The Studio At noon, the crowd was immense and they were lined up in front of the post office window, …
No Name No Address – Najat Ba Hakeem – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea
No Name No Address He gazed up at the ceiling of the room he shared with his wife and three …
Bait – Eman Al-Maziji – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea
Bait He approached her with love, smiled at her kindly, extended a hand of goodwill, raising the flags of peace …
Disappointment – Eman Al-Maziji – trans. Hatem Al-Shamea
Disappointment We stood in the same place, our eyes fixed on the target. Each of us tried to distract the …
Unknown Place – Saeed Mohammed Al-Hammadi – (trans.): Hatem Al-Shamea
Unknown Place Evening descended heavily upon the city, and the stars suspended in the sky unveiled the curtain of the …
The Ten Nights – Fatima Wahidi – trans. by: Hatem Al-Shamea
The Ten Nights A bottle filled with oil, another with gas, and a hundred loaves of bread, they awaited their …
Escape of a Corpse – a short story by Entesar Asseri – trans. by Hatem Al-Shamea
Escape of a Corpse Its threads sneaked through the gaps in the curtains, flirting with the bare hairs on his …
Let Them Bomb – A Poem by Abdullah Al-Baraduni – translated by Hatem Al-Shamea
Let them bomb, you are not a target let them rage, you are far more enraged Let them mobilize, you …
Memory – a short story by Entesar Asseri – translated by Hatem Al-Shamea
Memory After my mind submitted its resignation and declared its departure from work, I began to suffer and endure the …
A Loaf of Bread (رغيف) – A short story by Entesar Asseri – translated by Hatem Al-Shamea
A Loaf of Bread (رغيف)Black Sack – by Ali Abdullah Al-Ajri With reddened eyes, brimming with tears, he approached with …
Black Sack – by Ali Abdullah Al-Ajri
Black Sack Our department was one of the most important in the country. It used to be bustling with a …
The Appointment – by Saeed Mohammed Al-Hammadi
The Appointment She gazed at the walls of her room, feeling a sense of confinement. Dishevelled clothes lay scattered on …
Glorified September – Entesar Hasan
In my homeland, tidings of joy unfurled, Awake, O larks, with melodic trill. Flags of glory danced, radiant and bold, …
Hitler Goes to Paradise – A Short Story by Wajdi Al-Ahdal – translated by Hatem Al-Shamea
A bizarre occurrence arose – I felt no shame over my nakedness! Not even my personal doctor had ever seen …
Burnings 6×4 – flash fiction – by Eman Al-Maziji – translated by Hatem Al-Shamea
Brothers The state was struck in two parts, it shut its ancient door declaring danger, its sea was dyed red, …
The World Narrowed Around Me – by Karim Al-Iraqi – translated by Hatem Al-Shamea
The World Narrowed Around Me Like a coffin closing in, Hope was all that kept my spirit from dying. My …
The Decisive Discourse – by Esa Al-Azab and translated by Hatem Al-Shamea
O Lord… Your people have never clung to your rope alone But strayed and leaned on ropes other than yours …
In Wounds – by Abdullah Al-Baraduni
Alone behind despair… memories gnaw at me until I weaken And my artistic childhood… amazes me… from the heaviness of …
I Came From Sheba
By Abdulkareem Al-Ofairi I came from Sheba, reciting my rhyme, Wandering in lovestruck bliss so sublime Inebriated in rapture that …
Excess of Joy
a poem by Eman Assaeedi illusion, I thought the poem was an impenetrable wall that would not be held by …
Ahmed Abdo
Ahmed Abdo, the renowned Egyptian novelist and short story writer, has made significant contributions to the world of literature. Born …
Exhausting Rides
by Arafat Musleh Despite the lurch and joggle of the car on the dirt road enveloping me in a strange …
Al-Gharbi Emran
Al-Gharbi Emran is a renowned Yemeni novelist and short story writer. He has established himself as a prominent figure in …
Divan of Scales
by Isa Al-Azab Poetry is a death, and verses are its tombThe poets’ manuscripts are but memories of its doom …
Assassination
By Fatima Wahidi Her self-esteem and unwavering confidence in her abilities were the secrets behind her certainty that her life …