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Poetry

A Stray Bullet

By Mazen Maarouf
Translated from Arabic by Kareem James Abu-Zeid & Nathalie Handal

After crossing the living room,
the library,
the corridor
and the photo that brings us together
on a trip to Nahr al-Kalb,
and after passing by the washer
and my mother (exhausted
in spite of the washer),
a stray bullet
veered slightly off course—
by the force
of gravity—
and finally settled
in my head
to kill you there.

© Mazen Maarouf. By arrangement with the author. Translation © 2014 by Kareem James Abu-Zeid and Nathalie Handal. All rights reserved.

English Arabic (Original)

After crossing the living room,
the library,
the corridor
and the photo that brings us together
on a trip to Nahr al-Kalb,
and after passing by the washer
and my mother (exhausted
in spite of the washer),
a stray bullet
veered slightly off course—
by the force
of gravity—
and finally settled
in my head
to kill you there.

© Mazen Maarouf. By arrangement with the author. Translation © 2014 by Kareem James Abu-Zeid and Nathalie Handal. All rights reserved.

رصاصة طائشة

رصاصة طائشة

بعد أن عبرت غرفة الجلوس

فالمكتبة

فممرّ البيت

فالصورة التي تجمعنا في رحلة إلى نهر الكلب

فالغسّالة الأوتوماتيك

وأمّي المرهقة

 رغم الغسالة الأوتوماتيك

أحنت قليلاً مسارها بفعل الجاذبية

واستقرّت

أسفل رأسي

في الخلف

وقتلتْكِ.

 

 

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