Poem from a Prison Cell - Mohammad al-Ajami Ibn al-Dheeb

Is it my mind or my heart that I’ve lost
to you, Arab lands, home of enemies?
If you held our minds with law and reason
if you respected our opinions
then you’d hold my heart as well

The Horses - Qassim Haddad

This is how the horses gallop, dislodging themselves from the eminence of the carriage and disturbing the tranquillity of the market.

How can I tell - Karin Boye

How can I tell if your voice is beautiful.
I only know, that it penetrates me
and makes me shake like a leaf
and tears me to shreds and splits me.

Arjun's Penance (The Hunter and the Hero - Book VI) - Bhāravi

Arjun, on his penance bent, 
Followed Gangâ's rocky course, 
Scaled the hill, as Vishnu [1] mounts, 
The golden bird which heavenward soars. 
Forest trees like worshippers 
Sang his praise with hum of bees, 
Bent their heads and rained their blossoms, 
Gently shaken by the breeze! 

The First Book of the Æneis (lines 50-75) - Vergil

Now scarce the Trojan fleet, with sails and oars,
Had left behind the fair Sicilian shores,
Ent’ring with cheerful shouts the wat’ry reign,
And plowing frothy furrows in the main;
When, lab’ring still with endless discontent,
The Queen of Heav’n did thus her fury vent:

Addiction - Indira Moreno

I inhale
the shadows of the calendar
that hang my fate
buried.

Wind blew! - Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai

Wind blew! The sand enveloped the body,
Whatever little life left, is to see the beloved.

My Friends - Carlos Aragón

(in semi-syncopated flow)
.
Where are they? Where are they?
Where are my old friends?
Those from our little school
and those from the university…

Improper Meeting - Shahid Qadri

Wild pigs will find their favorite mud.
Kingfishers will get the desired fish.
Nights--deep dark--will be white in heavy rain.
Peacocks will dance in a dense forest.

Lovers will eventually make love with partners,
But they will never be happy, never, never, never...

Wanderers will get back home alone.
In an empty pot,
Rice will shine up like the stars, and
You will get the old, forgotten song back to your tongue.

Lovers will eventually make love with partners,
But they will never be happy, never, never, never ...

They will stop marching in army barracks.
Hungry tigers will grasp a blue deer,
The village breeze will bring
The gentle tune of women song--
And you will find a room to stay together.

Lovers will eventually make love with partners,
But they will never be happy, never, never, never... 

---

Shahid Qadri (1942 - 2016) Bangladesh
Translated by Hassanal Abdullah
Source: Shabdaguchha

We Both Are Here, Again - Jibanananda Das

We both are here, again,
in memory of sound bird’s river of light.
Thought we both are
Egyptian mummies.