Poem
Adonis
23
Love, unable to sleep.And night, like dawn
goes to his cave.
And lovers toss their names
in inkwells where the ink only knows their death.
A star skips over graves
whose names
the mouth of the wind refuses
to pronounce.
She embraces me and leaves.
© Translation: 2013, Khaled Mattawa
23
Daar is de liefde ontwaakten de nacht gaat net als de morgen
naar zijn hol
Geliefden gooien hun namen
in inktpotten waarin de inkt niets weet dan dat zij stierven
Een ster flaneert over de graven
die zelfs de mond van de wind niet zullen delen
in het noemen van haar namen
Zij omhelst mij, verdwijnt
© Vertaling: 2013, Kees Nijland en Assad Jaber
32
هَا هُوَ الحبُّ سَهْرانُ ،
واللّيل ، كالفَجْرِ ،
يَمضي إلى كَهْفِهِ.
والمحبّون يَرْمونَ أَسْماءَهُم
في محابِرَ لا يعرف الحبْرُ فيها سِوى مَوْتِهم.
نجمةٌ تَتنزَّه فوق القبور
التي لن يُشارِكَ حتّى فَمُ الرّيحِ
في ذِكْرِ أسمائِها،
عانَقَتْني وغابَتْ .
© 2003, Adonis
From: Awwalu ‘l-djasadi akhiru al-bahr
Publisher: Dâr al-Adâb, Beirut
From: Awwalu ‘l-djasadi akhiru al-bahr
Publisher: Dâr al-Adâb, Beirut
Poems
Poems of Adonis
Close
23
Love, unable to sleep.And night, like dawn
goes to his cave.
And lovers toss their names
in inkwells where the ink only knows their death.
A star skips over graves
whose names
the mouth of the wind refuses
to pronounce.
She embraces me and leaves.
© 2013, Khaled Mattawa
From: Awwalu ‘l-djasadi akhiru al-bahr
From: Awwalu ‘l-djasadi akhiru al-bahr
23
Love, unable to sleep.And night, like dawn
goes to his cave.
And lovers toss their names
in inkwells where the ink only knows their death.
A star skips over graves
whose names
the mouth of the wind refuses
to pronounce.
She embraces me and leaves.
© 2013, Khaled Mattawa
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