Selected Poem: A Summer’s Dream
28 October, 2018
KHARTOUM (Sudanow) - Mustafa Sanad (1939-2009) is one of the great Sudanese poets. His poems as a whole are characterized by an undeniable powerful effect and poetic cohesion. His poetic images are vivid, his language is rich with ritual usage. His following poem was translated from Arabic by al-Sir Khidir:
I.
O summer,
This night, the door of paradise
Is a river of glass, a sea of dust, a door of mirage?
O summer,
This night, the door of paradise is open
For the forgotten dead,
The poets and the authors
II.
I melt at the first door, drank
The nectar of wine-the wine of wandering,
Forgot the path of revelation,
Crossed the seas of ecstasy and amusement.
III.
My soothsayer of the district… O soothsayer,
In the street,
A sheikh united the bond of chastity,
Passing the fire, hands on hips,
A girl with moustache,
A breast flew from a boy’s chest
And you say-missing the true lightening
Of emotion and inspiration
I behold a roaring mirage, a river of glass
A sea of dust
A night opening the depths of elusive sun
Bridges of midgets
Leaping over an ancient era,
Chewing the threads of silence
And licking tears of surprise and deceit.
I behold mirrors of ice crowning the summer’s face…
O lair,
O soothsayer of the intoxicated ones,
You spoke hastily, without pain
Forgetting the meeting of paradise and poets-
Today’s lesson is in noise
IV.
A vision…the flying blaze of summer in drawings
A vision… the gluttony of a hungry night for stars…
A night like a dark tress
The night wonderful door to paradise
V.
Don’t cry. Poet is the cogs of serum, pills tar, oil a factory and machinery,15
Sweat, people’s foreheads, crowds in the streets,
The residue of clamour and voices
VI.
I am reconciled with time
And have measured the face of people,
Staring at the pupils of eyes, walking paths crossing roads,
And exploring the remotest alleys
I read, yet inspired nothing but pity
VII.
Don’t cry… poetry is a fairy’s fan,
Like the swimming kin of warmth, the sound of turning heels
Don’t cry… poetry is blue flames in halls,
Eyes of straying promise;
A sea of pleasure and rain drops.
The girl undressed in the silent rain,
Cristal filters through a night doll,
The girl’s body turns before their eyes
Between the courtyard and the brothel.
The girl, the cup, the tenth door hunger of eyes, of eons.
O summer, this night your face is turned towards the epileptic and the rapid,
A fountain diamonds, a sea of names.
You who first called out,
The corpses of the dead martyrs were struck down.
VIII.
O summer of harm, weaver of weaver
And sea of green foam
O window!
I feel you in my heart, in its beat yet unseen.
O lightening quiver, this hour, in the night;
We would drive you
Across the pure river,
Inscribing your face with names…
O summer…
This night, the glory of paradise is bestowed
Upon the forgotten dead, and the author, and the poets
Source: Al-Sir Khidir's book (Modern Sudanese Poetry: Anthology and Appraisal).
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