The Last Door

The Last Door Arabic Poem By: Ali Al-Iskandari* Translated by: Inaam Al-Hashimi (Gold_N_Silk) ========================= I don’t have a thing in this world but my heart and my poem If you loved me for my heart, my poem would remain A homeless orphan searching amidst the claws of sadness For a traitor man who deserted her and fled with a woman. If you loved me for my poem, My heart would die of the cold. So take me in your hands, a romantic heart And a poem from the heart, As my heart alone without the poem is a ruin, And my poem alone Is a lie. 2 When you enter my heart, don’t close the door; A flock of doves is behind you, It follows you from The Thousand Nights; And, also, behind you Are the treasures of the East, The brides of Babylon, The crowns of kings, And a bird waiting for permission Since the beginning of the creation. And when you go out of my heart Be more magnanimous and leave me a little bit of warmth And a handful of your luminous days As I’ve been besieged by the cold since the first Ice Age And there is not a drop of oil In my lamp. ------- Translated by: Em. Prof. Inaam Al-Hashimi 2013 * Ali Al-Iskandari is an Iraqi poet.