SHAWQI, Ahmad


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The Nile is negus, nice and brownish.

Its colour is a wonder, gold, and marble.

Its arghul within its hand, lauding its lord.

The life of our country,

O God increase it.”

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O, My Wadi Neighbour!

O my valley neighbor I rejoiced en remembered

Something alike dreams when I saw you

I portrayed in my memory your love and in my slumbers

And the memories are echoes of the recounting years

And I have visited the flower gardens by a hilling

Charming and rapturous where I had met you

Their faces and eyes laughed to me

And I sensed your scents in their breathing

I knew not the sweetness of the embrace upon love

Until my arm slightly slipped you aside

The folds of your stature twisted in my hand

And your cheeks blushed ashamed

I entered into two nights your hair and darkness

And I kissed a mouth as bright as morning

The language of speaking was deactivated and my eyes

Talked to your eyes in the language of passion

Neither yesterday nor the times ages nor tomorrow

All times put together made the day of your satisfaction

Translated from Arabic by : Freeyad Ibrahim

A Sail On Tigris River

.A sail on Tigris River expands going forth in front of me

.My tears pray imploring not to viscous event attacks thee

.Glide on the water surface as floatable thing slowly

.Cross the water as the gleam guider that passes gently

.Come in to touch the land as if a heaven it looks eternally

.Maybe it looks as a smart paradise on smiling valley

.Stop to look closely and insure my heart to be safety

.Then I am saved from the gazing of black eyes jealousy

.To be from wine and drinking companions I was saved

.And to be away from their clattering voices nightly ascend

.Smart skilful apparel it took from an ancient time

.From ancestors it borrows its nice tune rhyme

.People support the life and establishing the civilization

.As their ancestors of bygone years, enhance the construction

.O, nation you brought the pride under the auspices of relatives

.On the back of a wellborn horse, you bring these initiatives


What is the Moon

Oh mother, how does the sky look? And what is light and what is the moon?

About their beauty you speak, but I don't see any of it.

Is this world darkness upon infinite darkness?

Oh mother, give me your hand and perhaps boredom will leave me.

I walk with fear of tripping, at day or dusk.

I walk unguided, whether the path is long or short.

I walk with trepidation lest I encounter a sudden danger

and the earth to me is all the same, the flat and the potholed.

My cane is my vision. Can you imagine vision so solid?

Children run and play and frolic and there's no problem for them in that.

But I am blind and sitting at home, in place

God is kind to me and He alleviates my distress.


O God !

O' God !

I wander all day and pine through time,

And seek some comfort in my rhyme.

The noblest of rhymes overflow with love,

The sweetest line - the musical and pure -

Are written down for the heart as a cure.

Men turn as they pay to the holy place;

To Laila's home I turn my face.

Twice people say their prayers at dawn;

When I think of her'

I know not the times I repeat my own,

Laila hid behind a crowd;

Her lip betrayed a smile,

Like the break of morn,

Or the sun as it shone.

Her sweet breath filled the air,

Made perfumed roses seem less fair.

A shiver ran through my form

From head to toe

As though my eye had met her own.

Let's love:

All men are mortal but love never dies:

Laila and I loved with young eyes:

Our love story which is now alive,

To our successors will continue to survive.

Generations of men will die and go past,

But our true love will forever last.


Damascus

Peace from the northern wind that swept across Barada River.
As long as that wind sweeps, tears would be everlasting upon Damascus.
I excuse from all pens and rhymes if couldn't express the matter.
About its disaster catastrophic events, the pen couldn't describe.
Its reminiscence on my heart still is glimpsing.
My heart palpates and never can forget it.
The catastrophic event you complain and suffer.
Resulted into, the pain of my heart on its deep wound.
I inter Damascus when the dusk overlaps.
Its appearance is bright and pleasurable.
Across its gardens, rivers flow everywhere.
Its mounds are painted with greenish verdures permanently.
There beside me estimable young guys joyfully are sitting.
They have priority on virtue and seniority.
Between the presences there are many witty poets.
Besides orators of sweetened tongues who say the beautiful speech.
They often relate my poems.
I admire when I notice my poems upon every tongue.
The lions are shameful when compare itself with them.
On the honorable esteem no one could precede them.
Everyone of those forefathers he is belonged.
Who he is of highborn snaffle bit, refuses the disgrace.
Curst upon it, what a bad news it is!
Sequentially sting the ears of guardian by intolerable news.
It is far away of the world, methinks it is cut off.
But its atmosphere carries the light on the skylines that's Damascus.
The magnificence of events which distinguish its atmosphere,
Everyone methinks it is false but it is really true.
It is said that the signs of history were pulling out.
Moreover it is said that the symbols of its historical men were burned.
Doesn't ye Damascus the wet nurse of Islam?
Therefore all people must obey you equally.
Saladin is the crown of thy honorable reputation.
Whose his reputation is widely welcomed the everlasting of Islam champion.
Every climax predominated civilization governs the Earth.
It has the property which is borrowed from thy quality.
Thy highness is from the ornaments of ancient time deep-rooted.
And thy ground is from the historical jewelry takes its parchment.
You Damascus have built one day the big state and overwhelming regime.
Ye have the unsurpassable civilization; no rival can be estimated with you.
Thy famous history is familiar across all Syria.
The news of its weeding can be audible on Andalusia.
Woe unto thee! The immortal dwellings, what about you?

Is it really wiped out? Is it really?
Do the heaven chambers still arranged?
Do they have the same fashion of yesterday?
And what about the ornament of those beautiful blessed women?
It seems to me they were disgracing, no veil remaining unless tears up.
They appear while there is on the side of thickets, fire was set up.
And behind the thicket small chickens were feed on.
If they in general seek out to find the secure way,
The death approach so to speak is closer.
The ominous day of death and bombs that harvest people.

Behind Its skies lightnings and struck region.
If the bombs blow away, the horizon will be reddish.
On one phase, but otherwise the horizon will be blackish.
Ask who horrifies thy delicate status after thy weakness.
Is it there is difference between his heart and rocks?
The colonists even if they appear flexible.
They have the stiff hearts as if the rock never seems soft.
He throws you also France by his fierce nature of Arab enthusiasm.
He is the warrior who has the nature of battles boastfulness and boldness.
The colonists if someone asks them about his right.
May say they are just gang groups disobeyed our laws and our way.
The blood of the revolutionists, France knows it well.
And it knows that this blood is the way of liberty.
The blood sheds on their ground to flourishing its fertility as if the sky rains.
On the other hand it might keep their foodstuff sources by their hands.
The country which its youthful guys go ahead for death,
To sacrifice themselves in order to others will be alive.
Nations usually get foredoom by the sacrificing blood of their people.
How they at last turn to be enslaved and do not protect their properties?
O, Syrians don't dream the daydream but think for future.
Live the momently period rightfully.
It is the trickery of politics to invade nations by untruthful names.
Even it produces sometimes slaves through its members.
Many hunts seem for you submissive.
As if the neck of hanged man bends to thy killer.
The faults and the cracks of regime maybe recover at once or after awhile.
But the dispute between nations never gains the success.
I advise them while I am not an individual of this country's people.
Even if we are different in countries but we sacrifice for the same destiny.
We gather in spite of the countries have multiple names.
Since our common divider is the Arabic language undoubtedly.
Your position is between death and life. O, Syrians!
If you choose the worldly ease, you surely ask the worry toiling life.
Homelands have debt on the shoulder of every zealous person.
Whether this debt is current or later, the citizen must pay.
Who he is not drink and not eat the bitter taste of destiny.
Those who claim the liberty never will be his friend.
And will not build the homeland as those who sacrificed themselves.

And merit not the rights of citizenship unless he does his duty.
The sacrifice souls give the uprising generations the renewed power.
And between those captured men there is reason for the freedom of others.
The red freedom has only one indisputable opened door.
It is the sacrifice for the purpose to be alive at pleasure.
I ask the God to reward you people of Damascus.
The pioneer of the glory of East surely is Damascus.
You are the supporters of your brothers at catastrophic days.
Every brother shall help his brother indeed that's the truthful manner.
The Drooze Sect never who seek vicious action.
Even you consider them as small nation wrongfully.
They were hospitable of good highbred nation.
They develop between the hard and the soft whenever the needs call for.
They have lofty mountain which its peak imitates the sky.
It appears white between the darkened reddish clouds.
Every lion or lioness has strife against its own desire.
Will leap when the risks encircle him, or felt is blockaded.
As if he has inherited the good prosperities of (Alsomaoal) the bold warrior.
Therefore all of its characteristics; are of honour and good nature equally.