دانی ئێواران
سەرنج دەدەمە ئاوابوونی خۆر،
دەزانم، منیش،
زوو بێ یا درەنگ، دەبێ ئاوا بم.
بەلام، مخابن،
دەمی ئاوابوون وەکوو زەردەپەڕ سیحراوی نابم!
Two Sunsets
At dusk
when I gaze at the sunset
I know
one day my own sunset will come
But, sadly,
my twilight won't be as resplendent
Two Sunsets
In the evenings
I gaze at the sunset.
I know, sooner or later, my own sunset will come,
But, alas!
My twilight won’t be as ornate as the sunsets.
07.01.2000
Helsinki
We’ve translated a number of these pithy, aphoristic poems by Abdulla Pashew which, although they seem simple, can be difficult to get right in English.
We changed ‘evenings’ to ‘dusk’ because, in English, the evening is dark and sunset takes place at dusk. And we debated at length the right adjective to choose for the final word — do you think we made the right choice?
Sarah Maguire, Workshop Facilitator