The Desert (The Diary of Beirut Under Siege, 1982) - Extracts

Adonis aka Ali Ahmar Said Asbar was born in 1930 in Syria. After 6 months in jail for his political leanings he moved to Beirut in 1956. He now lives in Paris. Extracts from 'The Desert' are below. 

الصحراء

٨

لم نعد نتلاقى 

لم يعد بيننا غير نبذٍ نفيٍ

  ,و المواعيد ماتت، و مات الفضاء 

.وحدة الموت صار اللقاء

8


We no longer meet, 
Rejection and exile keep us apart.
The promises are dead, space is dead,
Death alone has become our meeting point. 

٩

,أغلق الباب، لا ليقيِّد أفراحه  

. ليحرِّر أحزانه   ...

9

He shuts the door

Not to trap his joy,

...but to free his grief