حان Bar

   حان

ما يغري صاحبَ الحانةِ
في الفجر بكأسٍ تُؤَرِّقُهُ
وهو يغسلُ صحونَ "المزَّةِ"
ويستطلعُ النائمينَ على المقاعدِ
أخبارَ الأمسِ الكئيبِ
من المشاجراتِ والنكات البذيئةْ
 
يفتحُ خاطرَه للنهارِ - بالكادِ - يحكُّ الإبطَ
أو يفرِّغُ المثانةَ وهو يلهثُ
بالبابِ تمرُّ الغيومُ
والطيورُ تعلِّقُ النافذةَ
في قوسٍ
تدلِّي أغنيات من غادروا الأرضَ
ولن يعودوا ثانيةً
نقطةً
نقطةً
وهو يُشْرِعُ خاطرُه
يشربُ كأسَ الصباحْ!
 
 
 

Bar

What tempts a barman in the small hours?
Nursing a drink that bores him,
he rinses the dishes, glancing
at the customers snoring in their seats -
slumped in the pall of yesterday's news,
petty fights and crude jokes
 
Fixing his mind on the coming day,
scratching an armpit, he pisses and wheezes
Clouds scud past the door
Birds flit on the windowsills
singing songs of those who have left
songs of those who will never return
 
Sip by sip
he is clearing his head
with his toast to the morning
 

Bar

What tempts the barman in the morning except a glass that bores him,
While he washes the starters' dish
And he observes the sleepers on their chairs
The news of the sad day before today
Disputes and vulgar jokes
 
He opens a notebook to write the diaries of the day; he could hardly scratch his armpit
Or evacuate himself of water while heaving
Clouds pass by the door
And birds occupy the window, and keep it open,
They sing the songs of those who left the earth,
They would not return again
One drop
After another
While his brain pours thoughts,
And he drinks the morning's glass!
 
 
 

Original Poem by

Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi

Translated by

Atef Alshaer with Sarah Maguire Language

Arabic

Country

Sudan