الشيء

سيد جودة - مصر / هونج كونج

هنا شيءٌ

The Thing

Translated from the Arabic by the author

Something here

Dimly lit

Calling me

Enchanted, I walk for it

With heavy steps

Glassy eyes

A thousand clusters around me

And no one to fill my cup

Bored of revolving

No house in sight, no stone

Where are the garments of pilgrimage

Did I really wear the pilgrimage garments?

Or did I forget?

As I forgot to say a prayer today

A prayer of those who know their illiteracy

A prayer of those who don’t know their literacy

And they never know

The typhoon, no doubt, is coming to the city

To uproot the trees

Break the heart of my window

And break me

I got used to my defeats

Because I got used to life

She got used to me

Like our eyes getting used to darkness

When the rays of light are suddenly cut

I got used to life

The typhoon will go in two days

I’ll get up, collect the broken glass of my window

Go out to the city to buy bread

Milk, some fruit, and a sheet of glass

And search in people’s eyes for something

Dimly lit

Calling me

Enchanted, I walk for it

2/9/2008