Ahmed Shafie (http://shaaaf.blogspot.com) is an Egyptian poet, novelist, and translator who oddly does not have a collection in English translation, although his work has been translated by Robin Moger and, here, by Humphrey Davies:
Shafie was a 2014 resident at the University of Iowa’s prestigious International Writing Program, and he’s the author of the acclaimed collection 77 (2017), which made several “best of 2017” lists. Before that, he published Other Poems (2009), and A Side Street Ending in a Fountain (2000), and he’s also published two novels: The Creator (2013) and Sousou’s Journey (2003).
He’s also an award-winning translator; his translation of Russell Edson’s Collected Prose Poems was one of Muhammad Abdelnaby’s “favorite reads” of 2015.
This latest translation, by multi-award-winning translator and scholar Humphrey Davies, appears in Rusted Radishes. It is taken from his collection 77, where it was untitled.
It opens:
BIRDS
have no hands.
They don’t expect a crutch
in old age
Or a pat on the back
in their moment of weakness
Or rings
Or keys
Or a goodbye wave.
Keep reading at Rusted Radishes.
Self-translated by Shafie:
Translated by Robin Moger:
Reblogged this on Shereen Malherbe and commented:
Via Arablit
Birds
I love the ‘in defence of readers’ piece! What he sais about tasting apples and sex is so true and clever. Going to remember that