أفق Horizon

أفق

ستعودُ للشُّغْلِ دائماً

طالما ستطلع الشمسُ لغسلِ الشوارع ِ
من غَدْرِ اللّيلِ ولَمِّ الخياناتِ
من بين الحصى والقمامةْ
دائماً - ستسيرُ بين الناسِ
مُطْرِقاً - رافعَ الرأسِ
ساخراً من عيون مَحْنِيَّةٍ وشفاهٍ
ترسمُ الزيفَ على الزوايا
كلَّ يومٍ - في الأزقِّةِ نفسها
تترنَّمُ أو تلقي التحايا
تلاقي كلَّ مَنْ تعرفهم دفعةً واحدةً يكتبونَ الأناشيدَ بالخطى
أو يعلِّقونَ الحلمَ على الجدرانِ
ترمي لهم سرَّ النهارِ
ويركبونَ الذي تبقى
يُقْلِعُونَ إلى سطوعٍ آخرٍ
مُبْقِينَ على المهرجانِ بين الأصابعِ
على الجدرانِ دهنَ المحبَّةِ
على نوافذِ الصبايا
قصاصاتِ اعتذارٍ وأغانٍ
على فمكَ ابتسامةً ناصعةً
رغبةً في العودةِ إلى البيتِ بعد الشُغلِ
لكنْ / قبلَ أن تطلع الشمسُ ثانيةً
أو يعودوا منحدرينَ من أفق الشهادةْ.
 

Horizon

You will always carry on working
for as long as the sun rises to flush the streets
of the treasonous night studded with treachery
riming the cobblestones and trash
 
You will always walk through the crowd absent-minded
head up
looking down on those who look down on you
with their perfidious smiles
 
Every day the same streets
you murmur/sing out your greetings
meeting everyone you've ever known
making songs with their steps
pinning their hopes to the walls[1]
 
You show them the secret of the day
and they do the rest
they leave until sunrise
clasping your gifts in their hands
 
The walls are worn with affection
girls' windowsills graced with apologies and songs
and on your mouth is a radiant smile
a longing to get home after work
before the sun rises again
before they come back from the horizon of martyrdom[2]
 

This is very much a draft translation which no doubt will be significantly changed as a result of discussions in our workshop on 28th May.

Horizon

You will always go back to work
As long as the sun rises to wash the streets
From the deception/treason of the night and gather perfidies/treacheries
From between gravel/pebbles and debris/rubbish
Always you will walk among people absent-minded
Always with raised head
Deride of/ mocking/bent eyes and lips
That draws falseness/deceit on its corners
Every day - in the same alleys
You intone/sing or throwing greetings
You meet all those whom you know at once (they are all together) writing their songs/odes with their steps
Or hanging their dreams/aspirations/ on the walls
You reveal to them the secret of the day
And they do what is left
They depart until another rise [meaning sun rise and until they also rise themselves]
Preserving festivity between their fingers
On the walls there is the grease of affection
On the windows of the young maidens
Slips of apologising papers /slips of papers for apologies) and songs
And on your mouth there is a shining/radiant/smile
A desire to return home after work
But, before the sun rises again
Or they return from the horizon of martyrdom
 

Original Poem by

Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi

Translated by

Sabry Hafez with Sarah Maguire Language

Arabic

Country

Sudan