i loved you
when the sun
still rose in the west,
when caterpillars
hadn't grown
their wings yet.

i loved you
in cherry lips—
in almond kiss,
in dreamy eyes,
in youthful bliss.

now, my distant heart
could only love you
in heavy mist,
in forlorn might,
in fleeing light,
in vague hindsight—
of what was right.

Carry me away to some distant land That I could call, the City of Roses.

Where I would solve the mystery of love With wine without a whine.

This Distant Light
by Walid Khazindar
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Bitterly cold,
winter clings to the naked trees.

If only you would free
the bright sparrows
from your fingertips
and release a smile―that shy, tentative smile―
from the imprisoned anguish I see.

Sing! Can we not sing
as if we were warm, hand-in-hand,
sheltered by shade from a sweltering sun?

Can you not always remain this way,
stoking the fire: more beautiful than expected, in reverie?

Darkness increases and we must remain vigilant
since this distant light is our sole consolation ...
this imperiled flame, which from the beginning
has constantly flickered,
in danger of going out.

Come to me, closer and closer.
I don't want to be able to tell my hand from yours.
And let's stay awake, lest the snow smother us.

Walid Khazindar was born in Gaza City. He is considered to be one of the very best Palestinian poets; his poetry has been said to be "characterized by metaphoric originality and a novel thematic approach unprecedented in Arabic poetry." He was awarded the first Palestine Prize for Poetry in 1997. Keywords/Tags: Arabic, translation, Arab, Palestine, Palestinian, Gaza, distant, light, flame, fire, autumn, winter, trees, birds, sparrows, fingertips, smile, sing, shade, sun, fire, darkness, hand, hands, snow

You were supposed to be a distant starflower
Living in a different world yonder
Far more unreachable than I could ever wonder…
And I was only supposed to be your faraway observer

You were never supposed to wander off my universe
And I never really thought we could ever converse
Longing and yearning for you seemed like a lost cause –
Who would have thought our paths would ever cross?

Opening the window, I watch the bird depart
With a heart.
They say distant heart tend towards like places,
Yet my heart drifts with no traces of paces.
When the heart drifts,
So does the spirits.
Travelling a thousand miles,
I hope it finds its replies.

I created distance between me and the rest
Kept myself hidden like a treasure chest
I didn't want anything to do with the outside
I grew distant as my way to hide

I was tired of every single lie
They thought I would buy
Their actions were absurd
Knowing they couldn't keep their word

I lost all trust I ever had
Knowing everything would turn out bad
I lost hope, became paranoid
Anyone who tried to get close I would avoid

I no longer wanted to believe
Just remembering I would grieve
There will never be change
It's nothing new, nothing strange

---

It's a shame
Everyone's the same
Their anger they can't tame
At your heart they will aim

They saw you as a foolish joke
And as they cruelly spoke
Something inside broke
Holding in your tears you choke

The pain created grew
Slowly but surely within you
No longer knowing what to do
You ran away without a clue

You didn't want to stay
In a place harming you every day
Afraid if you trust they will betray
You decided to hide away