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 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 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!!!
***
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!!!
______________
