She owned nothing in life but her body; she gave away her body when she desired

Yasmine Hussein, a lecturer at the Department of English Language and Literature, Alexandria University, has translated the Arabic poem of Maysara Salah El-din, an Egyptian poet, playwright and translator

Maysara Salah El-din

Maysara Salah El-din is an Egyptian poet, playwright and translator, with a publishing record that includes many poetry volumes, verse plays and musicals. He received several national and Arab awards. A number of his poems were translated into English, Italian and Spanish, and many of his plays were performed on stage. His translations include Kokoro, Barbara, Shuggie Bain and The Bell Jar. His poetry collection Secret Numbers (2010) was recently translated into Spanish and appeared in print in 2023.

Yasmine Hussein

Yasmine Hussein is a lecturer at the Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Arts, Alexandria University. She received her MA degree in 2014 and her PhD in 2019, both in poetry. Besides academia, she has been working as a freelance translator and simultaneous interpreter since 2006.

Lapis infernalis

She owned nothing

In life

But her body

She gave away

Her body

When she desired

She took away

Her body

When she desired

And the religion

Of love

Was nothing

But a lie

Of use to fulfil

All her urges

That overflowed

With victory

From a

Bloodied

Rupture

She owned nothing

In life

But her body

That was like

A coy flower

Watered with

Expectation

Of the knight

Who holds

In his hand

The interpretation of her dream

Rivers

Of

Pure

Honey

And milk

That hasn’t

Gone

Sour

From the moment

Of creation

Till

The quivering

Of the body

In the eternal

Embrace

She owned nothing

In life

But her body

That

Perspired

Profusely

If strange

Eyes

Probed it

Even

Out of

Curiosity

That

Revulsed violently

If a treacherous

Scorpion

Breached

Her parts

With his lecherous sting

And drew strength from

The cover-up violating

All the covenants of consent

Her body

That went to bed

Panting from crying

From the injustice of hands

Tongues and eyes

That touched her

Or blamed her

For falling

Into the ambush of

Intrusion

She owned nothing

In life

But her body

Then why does she

Often-

Times

Hate it!!!

***  

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حجر جهنم

مكانتش تملك

م الحياة

غير جسمها

كانت بتوهب

جسمها

لما تحب

كانت بتنزع

جسمها

لما تحب

ومكانش

دين الحب

غير كدبة

وخلاص

بتلبي بيها

كل نزواتها

اللي فايرين

نصر

من

طمث

انكسار

كانتش تملك

م الحياة

غير جسمها

كان زي

وردة خجولة

مروية

انتظار

للفارس

اللي

في كفه

تفسير حلمها

أنهار

من

العسل

المصفى

واللبن

اللي

متغيرش

طعمه

من بدء

الخليقة

لنهاية

ارتعاش

الجسم

في الحضن

الغويط الاتصال

مكانتش تملك

م الحياة

غير جسمها

كان جسمها

بيعرق

قوي

لو عين

غريبة

دخلته

لو حتى

من

باب الفضول

كان جسمها

بينفر قوى

لو غدر

عقرب

مد

على تفاصيلها

مخلب رغبته

واستقوى

بالستر المخل

بكل مواثيق القبول

كان جسمها

بيبات بينهج

م البكا

من ظلم إيد

ولسان وعين

مستها

أو لامت عليها

وقوعها

في كمين

المساس

مكانتش تملك

م الحياة

غير جسمها

طب ليه بقى

أوقات

كتيرة

بتكرهه!!!

Published under International Cooperation with "Sindh Courier"