Saguia - Zahra el Hasnaui

They say

the night takes possession

of your indigo,

violet and cobalt hues.

That, in your lap,

all the kisses of salt

dry up.

They say

the wind's sonata

takes flight

as a symphony

of crazy sounds

orchestrated

by astonishment

It has never known

the darts

of the snake

I will return

wrapped in a cloak

of red stars

Sakia El Hamra River
Source: Wikimedia Commons

I will return

to mend

the bitter waters

To die and be reborn

in the heart

of the Atlantic

(To that childhood companion, always present at a distance, my river Saguia)

---

Zahra el Hasnaui (born 1964) Western Sahara

Translated by Tom Boll and Sarah Maguire

Source: Poetry Translation Centre