The Evening Guitar/ Amal Awwad Radwan

 Translated by Nizar Sartawi

 
You strutted down, a nightingale wet with my sunset
!prancing with my high-heeled dream
You flapped the wings of my abandoned ether
.and I took you in my arms, a gazelle of fog I carved with the awl of my fate

To a spacious weariness in the heights of imagination
the boats of my fiery life led me
And you.. have never ceased to live like a canopy
!on the bank of my ivory time

We are the ones overtaken by idiotic road-bends
Our falling life
runs fast
?!How could we salvage what’s been left of our pine’s footsteps
A handful of answers from senile needles
groping for the paths of mumblings towards you
with a smile
that takes off me my body and the spells of my apprehensions
dresses me in celibate violets
enclosed by amulets from your eyes
eternalizing me
nesting my virgin mornings
!on the throne of your chastity

I am he who embraced the twin paradises of your eyes
You alone.. can set me free from the memory of oblivion
You alone
;demand from my soul her blind night
during the phases of the dawn
and the ends of my ancient insomnia
and we... o v e r f l o w
!as a prayer of silence
,O evening guitar; be glorified
..shake like an earthquake, rejoice
turn the bosom of my sky into turquoise with a full moon’s whisper
that beseeches you
grant abundance to my heart’s river with a tattoo of joy
that dyes me with your forgiveness

From the balconies of dawn
get birds of reunion to chirp
to crack the fence of the mist
to turn me into a Lote tree with the prayers of your angels

;On the right of the throne is your Lote tree of the utmost boundary
Made so tender by your celibate breaths
!studded with the whiteness of your faithfulness

قِيَثارَةُ اْلمَسَاءِ/ آمال عوّاد رضوان
بُلْبُلاً مُبَلَّلاً بِغُرُوبِي تهادَيتِ
تَتَقَمَّزِينَ بِكَعْبِ حُلمِي العْالِي!
رَفْرَفْتِ بِجَناحَيْ أَثِيرِي المْهْجُورِ
واحْتَضَنْتكِ رِيمَ ضَبَابٍ؛ نحَتَهُ مِخْرَزُ قَدَرِي.

إِلى وَهَنٍ فَسِيحٍ مِنْ ذُرَى الخْيَالِ؛
سَاقَتْنِي مَرَاكِبُ حَيَاتِي النَّارِيَّةِ
وَأَنْتِ.. مَا انْفَكَكْتِ تحْيَيْنَ صُفّةً
عَلى ضِفَّةِ دَهْرِي العَاجِيِّ!

نحْنُ مَنْ تدْرِكُنا المُنْعَطَفاتُ البَلْهاءُ
يُهَرْوِلُ عُمْرُناَ
الهَاوِي
أَنّى نتَدارَكُ ما تبَقّى لنَا مِنْ خُطَى صَنَوْبَرِناَ؟!
حَفْنَةُ أَجْوِبَةٍ مِنْ إِبَرٍ هَاذِيَةٍ؛
تَتَلَمَّسُ دُرُوبَ التَّمْتَماتِ إِليْكِ
بِبَسْمَةٍ
تَخْلَعُ عَنّي جَسَدِي وَتعَاوِيذَ هَواجِسِي
تُلْبِسُني بَنَفْسَجًا عُذْرِيًّا
تَحُفُّهُ تمائِمُ عَيْنَيْكِ
تُؤَبِّدُنِي
وَتغَلْغِلُ.. صَبَاحَاتِي البِكْرَ
عَلَى عَرْشِ طُهْرِكِ!

أَناَ مَنِ اعْتَنَقْتُ فِرْدَوْسَيْ عَيْنَيْكِ
وَحْدكِ .. مَنْ يعْتِقُنِي مِنْ ذَاكِرَةِ النِّسْيَانِ
وَحْدكِ
مَنْ ترَاوِدِينَ نفسِيَ عَنْ ليْلِهَا الضَّرِيرِ؛
آناَءَ فَجْرِكِ
وَأَطْرَافَ سُهْدِي العَتِيقِ
وَ... نَ فِ ي ضُ
صَلاَةَ صَمْتٍ!
أيا قيثارَةَ المَساءِ؛ تجَلَّلي
تَزَلزَلي.. تهَلَّلي
فَيْرِزِي صَدْرَ سَمَائيِ بِوَشْوَشَةِ بَدْرٍ
يَتَضَرّعُ إِليْكِ
كَوْثِرِي نهَرَ قَلْبِي بِوَشْمَةِ بَهْجَةٍ
تُخضّبُنِي بِعَفْوِكِ

مِنْ شُرُفَاتِ الفَجْرِ؛
شَقْشِقِي عَصَافِيرَ لقَاءٍ
تُشقِّق سياجَ السّديم
تُسَدِّرُنيِ بِدَعْواتِ مَلائكَتِكِ

عَنْ يَمينِ العَرْشِ سِدْرَةُ مُنْتَهَاكِ؛
تُهَفْهِفُهَا أَنْفَاسُكِ البَتولُ
مُطَعَّمَةً بِبَيَاضِ وَفَائِكِ!

**

ترجمة نزار سرطاوي

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* A Palestinian poet, writer and journalist