courage (8) lamia makaddam
In these troubled times, we asked a number of authors we admire what ‘courage’ means to them. In the coming weeks, you can read their answers here, in the form of a poem, a memory, an anecdote or a more philosophical reflection.
دمعة رشیقة
: ھذه فرصتك الوحیدة
علیك أن تبكي الآن أو تتوقفي عن البكاء إلى الأبد
خرج الطفلان للعب مع أقرانھما
وھذه فرصتك الوحیدة لتخرجي النھر من كمك
تمنحیه حیاة وإسما
.وتجلسین على حافته، كأي غریب متعب
لا وقت لتلك الدموع الضخمة الثقیلة
سیعود الطفلان لیجداك تحتھا
ماذا بإمكانھما أن یفعلا ساعتھا؟
اختاري دمعة واحدة رشیقة وخفیفة
.ضعي فیھا كل ألمك
بإمكانك أن تقتلیھا الآن
تلك الدمعة الرشیقة الخفیفة
قبل أن تشعر بخفة الكائن البشري فتطیر أمام عینیك
كالغبار في الجو
A Slender Tear
It’s now or never:
Cry or hold back your tears forever.
The kids are playing outside with their friends,
Now’s your chance; let the river flow beyond your sleeve.
Give it a life and a name.
Sit down on its bank, you burnt out stranger.
No time to let the big tears roll.
When the kids come home they’ll find you out of your depth –
And what will they be able to do?
Instead, choose a single light and slender tear
And sink all of your pain into it.
Now you can kill it, this light and slender tear.
Before it has the time to feel the effects of a human being’s lightness,
Before it flies off before your eyes
Like a speck of dust in the air.
Translated by Daniella Shreir
Lamia Makaddam (1971) is een bekende Tunesische dichteres die nu in Nederland woont. Haar eerste Nederlandse bundel Je zult me vinden in elk woord dat ik schrijf verscheen dit jaar bij Uitgeverij Jurgen Maas in een vertaling van schrijver Abdelkader Benali.
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