Five Poems by Wadi Saadeh

 

[These poems, translated from Arabic by Sinan Antoon, are from Wadi Saadeh's forthcoming collection "Man Akhadha al-Nazra Allati Taraktuha Waraa al-Bab" (Who Took the Gaze I Left Behind the Door).

 

Lower Your Voice

 

Lower your voice please!

I want to hear what silence is saying

Perhaps it is saying: come!

And I want to follow it 

 

Signs 

 

Many signs on the roads

Signs pointing to cities

Signs pointing to streets

Signs pointing to factories, institutions, shops, houses

Many signs full of names

He walks

Looking for a sign

That is empty  

 

I Want Another Moment

 

I heard it

Yes, I heard this bell ringing inside my head

So stop it, please!

I want to sleep 

Please stop the bell!

I want another moment

To say goodbye to the one who visited me in my dream

and to thank my comforter 

 

The Wind, Too, Has Children 

 

The wind, too, has children

It scatters them as it passes

Leaves them all alone

The wind has children on the roads

Amorphous, naked, orphans

They wave to those passing by

Hoping that their gazes would cover their nothingness

So they could have bodies

And be seen 

 

Drowning 

 

He poured water

A lot of water

And drowned in it 

He thought his soul was a cloth

And wanted to wash it

 

[Translated by Sinan Antoon]