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Poetry from Three Continents

March 2011

In poetry from three continents, Algeria’s Habib Tengour reflects on exile and identity, Australia’s Cobbin Dale spins an Aboriginal folk tale, and Vietnam’s Nguyen Phan Que Mai moves between earth and sky.

Crossing

By Habib Tengour

Noon is an extravagant abyss.

Translated from French by Marilyn Hacker

From the Deep Earth

By Nguyen Phan Que Mai

Your gaze opens the sky. The sun rises and forgets to set.

Translated from Vietnamese by Nguyen Phan Que Mai & Bruce Weigl

Freeing Myself

By Nguyen Phan Que Mai

The wind hands me a pair of wings and tells me to free myself from wings.

Translated from Vietnamese by Nguyen Phan Que Mai & Bruce Weigl

Thangara

He roamed the land eating men.

Translated from Yindjibarndi by Shon Arieh-Lerer