We are together tonight,
But you'll be hidden from me tomorrow
By the cruelty of this life.
The seas will separate you from me
And oh! If only I could see you;
I'll never know where
Your path led you, which course
You took, and what unknown destination
Your steps pushed you to reach.
You will depart, and the thief of all beauty,
And all that's dear to us,
Will steal this happiness from us,
Emptying our hands of it.
Tomorrow at sunrise you'll leave, like a ghost,
Turning into a delicate cloud, passing
Quickly in the summer noon.
Your scent, your scent has the essence of life
In my heart,
As the earth gulps up the gift of rain
And the fragrance of the trees.
I will miss it when you leave tomorrow,
And nothing remains,
Just as everything beautiful, all that's dear to us,
Is lost, lost, and nothing remains..
Fadwa Tuqan (1971 - 2003) Palestine
Translated by Charlie Huntington
Source: 'Despite the great distance, existence unites the two: Translating the poetry of Fadwa Tuqan,' Franklin Huntington, Senior Honors Linguistics Thesis, Swarthmore College, Leeds, UK
But you'll be hidden from me tomorrow
By the cruelty of this life.
The seas will separate you from me
And oh! If only I could see you;
I'll never know where
Your path led you, which course
You took, and what unknown destination
Your steps pushed you to reach.
You will depart, and the thief of all beauty,
And all that's dear to us,
Will steal this happiness from us,
Emptying our hands of it.
Tomorrow at sunrise you'll leave, like a ghost,
Turning into a delicate cloud, passing
Quickly in the summer noon.
Your scent, your scent has the essence of life
In my heart,
As the earth gulps up the gift of rain
And the fragrance of the trees.
I will miss it when you leave tomorrow,
And nothing remains,
Just as everything beautiful, all that's dear to us,
Is lost, lost, and nothing remains..
Fadwa Tuqan (1971 - 2003) Palestine
Translated by Charlie Huntington
Source: 'Despite the great distance, existence unites the two: Translating the poetry of Fadwa Tuqan,' Franklin Huntington, Senior Honors Linguistics Thesis, Swarthmore College, Leeds, UK
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