put the ugly kind out

 

I am left in the night , trembling with fear

I have seen to the future and the future in here

Our leader will bring victory but our land is in flames

And as the final sounds of battle disappear I had to say

What about me , andthe ones that we love

What about me , and you , ant the ones that we love

well , what about us

Silence

Winds that do not blow in the evening,

and winds that do not blow at dawn

have burdened me with a book of boughs.

I see my cry in the silence.

***

Night descends, blue, between staircases and stars. I see

blue trees, abandoned streets, and a country

of sand. I had a home and lost it. I had a home

and left it. How close the stars are!

They cling to my steps. O blue trees, blue

woods, night! we have ended up in a world

collapsing or beginning or dying.

***

Trees for severed hands. Trees for the eyes

that were gouged. Trees for the hearts turned to stone.

In the city, in the cemetery, trees sway in their blueness.

The severed hands do not wave, the gouged eyes

do not waver, the hearts turned to stone

do not move. Will they come,

the strange winds? The gardens are inhabited by silence.

The minarets have the color of old waters, people have the color

of old horses. And the Tartar books are branded

with the stamp of censorship.

Which country have you come to now? Here, you will open

a door to a torture chamber. And one day in a garden

you will see your arms, your eyes, or your speeding heart.

But you are strong today, say your word. Say it,

for after tomorrow you will begin to die.

***

The winds that do not blow in the evening,

the winds that do not blow at dawn.

***

I am beautified with the book of boughs;

and I see my cry in others' eyes.

***

November 3, 1974

_____________________

Translated by Khaled Mattawa

Gift

My life is a gift

Given to me

On my zero birthday.

Today I pulled out the ribbon,

Unwrapped the Box

And found lots of things,

Ordinary,

But also wonder-full:

A watch of gold,

And of gold

Is every hour in one’s life;

A jack-in-the box

Which makes you laugh

Or scares you to death, it depends;

Two beautiful baby-dolls,

The first a toy,

The second is not;

A prisoner’s crown and the shackles of a king;

I also found a Jack of Spades

You turn him upside down

He stays the same;

I found books;

I found a long video tape labeled

‘Fifty years of conflict between the Zionists and the Arabs’;

I found hell in an inkpot,

And heaven in an inkpot too;

I found an Arab horse on a race track

Covered with glue;

I found a stove with no flames;

At the bottom of the box,

I found a white card with my name on it,

The rest has not yet been written.

...

I did not know what to do with all these things!

Oh, God, thank you,

But why the trouble?

...

I put them all back in the box,

I closed it,

Wrapped it,

Tied the ribbon,

I threw it skywards and up it went,

The gift turned into a host of flying doves

That I will follow forever.

Why did I do that?

I really do not know!

To a Special person‏

You're a special friend
Who I know is always there
Someone to share my life with
Every hope, dream, and care
Whenever I feel sad, or alone
You're always there to make me smile
It's friends like you who I know
Won't leave me after a while
Special friends like you
mean the world to me
When I think of something special
It is your face I see
All the time I've spent with you
Puts a smile upon my face
I hope one day I'll be with you again
Somehow, Sometime, someplace
You mean alot to me and I would
Do anything in the world for you
So, no matter what's going on in your life
Just know you have someone to turn to.
You're a special person
I care alot about you
I wish I could say how special you are
Only if you knew

ترجمه شعري از سهراب سپهري:

 

In this house I am close to the wet loneliness os grass

I hear the sound  of gardens  breathing

The sound of the darkness raining  from a leaf

The light clearing its throat  behind  the tree

the sneeze of water from every  crack  of a rock

The whisper  of the swallow  from  spring"s  rooftop.

من در این خانه به نمناکی  نمناک علف نزدیکم

من صدای نفس باغچه را می شنوم

و صدای ظلمت را -وقتی از برگی می ریزد

و صدای سرفه روشنی از پشت درخت

عطسه آب از هر رخنه سنگ

چکچک چلچله از سقف بهار

Winter

Ball, ball, snowball, it snows

It is cold, it is winter

The boundless cold, makes our bodies tremble

When it snows

The trees become white

Playing in the lanes give us happiness and clearness

In winter, the heater is always turned on

We should wear warm cloths, it is the time to catch cold

Life is like playing Cards

 He deals the cards as a meditation
And those he plays never suspect
He doesnt play for the money he wins
He doesnt play for the respect
He deals the cards to find the answer
The sacred geometry of chance
The hidden law of probable outcome
The numbers lead a dance

I know that the spades are the swords of a soldier
I know that the clubs are weapons of war
I know that diamonds mean money for this art
But thats not the shape of my heart

He may play the jack of diamonds
He may lay the queen of spades
He may conceal a king in his hand
While the memory of it fades

I know that the spades are the swords of a soldier
I know that the clubs are weapons of war
I know that diamonds mean money for this art
But thats not the shape of my heart
Thats not the shape, the shape of my heart

And if I told you that I loved you
Youd maybe think theres something wrong
Im not a man of too many faces
The mask I wear is one
Those who speak know nothing
And find out to their cost
Like those who curse their luck in too many places
And those who smile are lost

I know that the spades are the swords of a soldier
I know that the clubs are weapons of war
I know that diamonds mean money for this art
But thats not the shape of my heart
Thats not the shape of my heart

To My Friends

تقديم به تمام دوستانم

 

If you should die
before me, ask if you
could bring a friend.

If you live to be a hundred,
I want to live to be
a hundred minus one day,
so I never have to live
without you.

True friendship is
like sound health;
the value of it is
seldom known
until it is lost.

A real friend
is one who walks in
when the rest
of the world walks out.

Don't
walk in front of me,
I may not follow.
Don't walk behind me,
I may not lead.
Walk beside me and
be my friend.

 

 

Friends are God's way of taking care of us.

 

 

Friendship is one mind
in two bodies.

I'll lean on you and
you lean on me and
we'll be okay

If all my friends were
to jump off a bridge,
I wouldn't jump with them,
I'd be at the bottom to
catch them.

Everyone hears
what you say.
Friends listen to
what you say.
Best friends
listen to what you don't
say.

My father always used
to say that when you die,
if you've got five real friends,
then you've had a great life.;

 

Hold a true friend with both your hands.;

.

I Love You Mom!

I Love You Mom!

Mom's smiles can brighten any moment,
Mom's hugs put joy in all our days,
Mom's love will stay with us forever
and touch our lives in precious ways...

The values you've taught,
the care you've given,
and the wonderful love you've shown,
have enriched my life
in more ways that I can count.

I Love you Mom!

       *********M-O-T-H-E-R********

M is for the million things she gave me,
O means only that she's growing old,
T is for the tears she shed to save me,
H is for her heart of purest gold;
E is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
R means right, and right she'll always be,

Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER,"
A word that means the world to me.