No Sin For a Mirror
No Sin for a Mirror
Arabic Poem by: Habib Al-Samir*
Translated Into English by:
Inaam Al-Hashimi (Gold_N_Silk)
=========================
In a room,
Bordered by the sun on the right
And the moon on the left,
A mirror stands
On a smooth wall
Exposing or concealing my failures.
Since I am stuck on it,
It tells me tales every morning,
With polished gestures
Revealing everything
And, also,
Holding everything.
It keeps on facing me
Contemplating my body,
The shape of my hair
And the color of my eyes,
And it's no sin for a mirror.
***
Oh, you!
Keeper of my secrets, and holder of my deeds,
How often have you picked the heat off my tears as I cried,
And as I grieved over my defeats!
Oh you!
In yestertimes we left our remnants behind
We laughed long
About past times and reflections
Charged with a spate of attention.
I remember that I left a tattoo
On your forehead
As you beheld the drizzle falling on my bed.
Here are my fragrant silken dreams;
When cold, I resort to you
To give me fabulous warmth.
I buried my remnants
As a grapevine
Would bury its remnants in wine!!
Oh you! The savor of my coffee,
Oh my mirror!
Here was the fragrance
In the rendezvous of our two bodies.
Sometimes, in my absence
You tidied my scattered papers;
Oh, how splendid your hand was
As it touched my things!
Compassionate, calm, and full of sentiment it was.
You memorized the journey of my fingers
And embalmed the expressions
of my laughter
At my repeated failures.
I shall close my door
To find you sailing off on the boat of my soul
Taking the color of the sun,
And reciting poems I have not written yet.
Oh my mirror,
How fond you are
Of remembering names so special to me
My female friends,
The types of tobacco I like,
And even the taste of my wilderness!
Oh, how I fear for you
The presence of vapors sublimating in the space of the room!
I will stay with you
In my room
That's bordered by the sun
As she descends from her throne;
And, in the night, as the moon escorts you
In the pleasure journey,
I'll slip off my cloak and wear my delight
As you look at me.
Why are you so dazzled?
As if you, for the first time,
Noticed my presence
In your depth!
=====
Translated by:
Em. Prof. Inaam Al-Hashimi (Gold_N_Silk)
July 26, 2013
*Habib Al-Samir is a poet from Iraq
Original text in Arabic : http://www.alnoor.se/article.asp?id=209949
*
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