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Poetry

Chronicle of an Execution

By Ghojimuhemmed Muhemmed
Translated from Uyghur by Joshua L. Freeman

A drop of sky from Paradise streams
A bud from the bonfires on Hell’s branches
A bundle of black rocks in the heart
Grateful gifts for the verses that flow toward the moon
A page of the epics where heroes’ corpses lie buried&
The past that advances shouting Charge!
The odes sung by souls entering and leaving
to doors opening and doors closing
Distant graves approaching
Girls never seen twice and beds seen many times
Water in the blood, bread in the flesh, vows in the bone
A sword striking a head, a noose lain round a neck, bullets into the chest
And what comes before his eyes in the final breath
is a chain called homeland, an enemy called his people
And the beautiful life for which he longed
is the flower garden he has laid waste

© Ghojimuhemmed Muhemmed. By arrangement with the author. Translation © 2016  by Joshua L. Freeman. All rights reserved.

English Uyghur (Original)

A drop of sky from Paradise streams
A bud from the bonfires on Hell’s branches
A bundle of black rocks in the heart
Grateful gifts for the verses that flow toward the moon
A page of the epics where heroes’ corpses lie buried&
The past that advances shouting Charge!
The odes sung by souls entering and leaving
to doors opening and doors closing
Distant graves approaching
Girls never seen twice and beds seen many times
Water in the blood, bread in the flesh, vows in the bone
A sword striking a head, a noose lain round a neck, bullets into the chest
And what comes before his eyes in the final breath
is a chain called homeland, an enemy called his people
And the beautiful life for which he longed
is the flower garden he has laid waste

© Ghojimuhemmed Muhemmed. By arrangement with the author. Translation © 2016  by Joshua L. Freeman. All rights reserved.

قەتلە بايان

جەننەت ئىرىقلىرىدىكى ئاسمانلارنىڭ بىر تامچىسىنى  

دوزاخ شاخلىرىدىكى گۈلخانلارنىڭ بىر غۇنچىسىنى

يۈرەكتىكى قارا تاشلارنىڭ تۈگۈنچىسىنى

ئايغا ئاققان قوشاقلارنىڭ سۆيۈنچىسىنى  

قەھرىمانلارنىڭ جەسەدلىرى كۆمۈلگەن داستانلارنىڭ بىر ۋارىقىنى  

ئالغا! دەپ ۋارقىرىغانچە ئىلگىرىلەۋاتقان ئۆتمۈشنى

كىرىۋاتقان، چىقىۋاتقان جانلارنىڭ  

ئېچىلىۋاتقان، يېپىلىۋاتقان ئىشىكلەرگە ئوقۇۋاتقان مەدھىيىسىنى

بارغانسىرى يېقىن بولغان يىراقتىكى قەبرىلەرنى

تەكرارلانماس قىز بالا ھەم تەكرارلانغان كارۋاتلارنى  

قاندىكى سۇ، گۆشتىكى نان، سوڭەكتىكى قەسەملەرنى

باشقا قىلىچ ئۇرۇلۇشنى، بويۇنغا سىرتماق سېلىنىشنى، كۆكرەككە ئوق تېگىشنى

ئاخىرقى تىنىقتا كۆز ئالدىغا كەلگىنىنىڭ

ۋەتەن دېگەن كىشەن ئىكەنلىكىنى، خەلق دېگەن دۈشمەن ئىكەنلىكىنى

ئۇ ئارزۇ قىلغان گۈزەل ھاياتنىڭ

‫ئۆزى خازان قىلغان گۈلشەن ئىكەنلىكىنى…

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