Down To Arms Mahgoub Sharif

09:48 PM Apr, 15 2015
Sudanese Online
عائشة موسي السعيد-KHARTOUM NORTH
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Down to Arms by Mahgoub Sharif; Translated by Asha Musa
From his book: H spread Seeds for Pigeons


ارضا سلاح
Down to Arms
If we unite against wound
We build Democracy the right bond
We build a spacious Homeland;
A homely refuge, no beggary
A peaceful, open sanctuary
No tyranny nor forgery
Down to arms!


ارضا سلاح
لو نتحد ضد الجراح
نبنى الديمقراطية صاح
نبنيهو صاح وطن البراح
وطنا مجير لا مستجير
لا مستبد لا مستباح
ارضا

Beautiful, succint and very profound.

Thank you for sharing this.

Best regards,
M.M.

Thank you Mohamed Mohamed for the compliment and for passing by.

*****************8

عشره مقاطع للحيـاه
Ten Songs for Life
================
( 1 )
Mountains enveloped by night
Yet, the grumbling flowage
And the horses’ whinnying
Under the mountain heard
The blemishing fire of rage and hunger
Sparkling through the plague



( 2 )
Brave martyr’s boiling blood
In gloomy death coat wrapped
The glorious path he took
That is always filled with masses
Waving a thousand flags
Echoing the sweetest songs
The gleaming distant star:
Witness
Shining from afar

(1)
غط الجبال الليل
لكن هدير السيل
لكن صهيل الخيل
تحت الجبل مسموع
نار الغضب والجوع
يضووا عز الليل

( 2 )
والموت شديد الظلام
غطى الشهيدالهُمام
لكن دماهو بِتْقيد
لكن طريقوالمجيد
ابداً شديد الزحام
رايات ترفرف غمام
ينزل رزاز النشيد
و النجمه تلمع هناك
رغم المكان البعيد

Con..
Ten Songs for Life
Mahgoub Sharif
Translator: Asha Musa

(3)
Throughout the years the Nile flows
Strong but gently it goes
At night, it glitters and shows
An armed knight with gleaming sword
Embracing us in peace
We climb his shoulder on the left,
We descend his shoulder on the right
But to say ‘I am his Master’
Who has such a right?


(4)



In the curb of the long… long road
A seed escapes the sack
Of a weak and thirsty traveller
Who dies of thirst,
Before coming back
The seed grows, it blossoms and blows
The traveller finds a welcome track.



عشرة مقاطع للحياة


( 3 )

و النهر عبر السنين
يزحف بعنف و بلين
في الليل بيلمع يبين
فارس بسيفوالسنين
يحمينا حضنو الامين
نطلع بكتفوالشمال
ننزل بكتفوا اليمين
لكنو مين يقدريقول
أنا سيدو مين

( 4 )

و في منحنى الدرب الطويل
الحبه تفلت من جراب
عابر سبيل مسكين هزيل
عطشان يموت في السكه
ما يتم الرحيل
تكبر تشيل تلبس جميل
تصبح مقيل عابر سبيل

Con...
Ten Songs for Life
Mahgoub Sharif
Translator: Asha Musa


( 5 )
A Bird, from one end of the land
On its way to the other end
It knows the harvest time
It knows the seasons’ rhyme
The time when fields in blossom
And when the locusts chime
It cries as a hunter’s trigger
Should aim at the nest and titter



( 6 )
What a woman!
The least to say is that…
She is the dearest of Human
She weighs a dozen of men!
She walks and never bends
Holding her head high
She walks, between well and shore
Up and down she keeps ably
By day with ‘assawaqui’*,
By night weaving ‘tawaqui’*
And always there when baby cry

(7)
So lively ,disciplined and in zeal
The ant,
In the queer queue or when alone,
Is always determined to make things go
No force or fear of rule watching behind
No worry no hurry nor plot to hide
‘So much the better than human deceit!’
haila…haila… haila hop
She finds herself on board a ship
And once again a road in town
Still the same zeal and zest
No worry no hurry in her queer queue
Escaping a foot-crush over head flew
From a playful child or heat aglow
Stubbornly hanging to the seed at hand!!
The seed belongs to the Union Band!





( 8 )
Miraculous: the floating cloud
And the link between roots
And seeds still deep in the ground
The songs of birds
And the raging war so loud
With sword and spear
And the link of the woods and the wild
The ‘rababa’* and scarf,
The course of the Nile and a door shutter
And the crying of a prep school child
Seeking a lead pencil she dropped on a bus
With the rumbling of lead bullets yonder,
Where bread, by the wanton hands monopolized.
A child, eating from a nonexistent time
Drinking from a nonexistent time
And hence……
A Strike



( 9 )
The sun rises
The smallest in a mount, you can see
The great Ports start to ascend
And the factories vividly roar
Streets and bridges fill
And chests with pride sore
With crowds of workmen brisk with thrill
Palaces shrink sensing the chill
Of the creeping end

( 10 )
The city wakes up
A bath… a light
A cigarette and the morning tea
A penny for food, a penny for mutton
A song, just to cheer up while fixing a button
A stitch to mend the garment and think of the sorrow
She curses the government; throws away the pound, useless and rotten
She dusts her shoes and off to face the knotty life
She tears to rags her shirt and beats them children
Why beat the children…why beat your children?
Long live strive!
Strive worries the government
It puffs and glazes
With the fire of the fight
It stunts and grunts until day light
It stealthily creeps out, crooked, sad, and silent
It gets in a fit and in asylum resides
And long live the heroes…Long live the heroes!
Keep ablaze the fight !
Long live the Strive!


Asha

الأصول عشرة مقاطع للحياة .. 5 - 10
محجوب شريف

( 5 )

عصفوره من آخر بلاد
في رحله لي آخربلاد
تعرف مواعيد الحصاد
و كلِ دوراتالفصول
و أَنضر أيام الحقول
و تعادي أسرابالجراد
و تنادي لو كركب زناد
صياد على العشو الولاد

( 6 )

و انسانه أبسط مايقال
لو صاح
أعز من النساوينالرجال
أنثى ولا دستة رجال
تمشي و مابتطاطي
ما بين بير و شاطي
تطلع عاليواطي
نهارها مع السواقي
و ليلها معالطواقي
و عمرها للجُهال

( 7 )

و النمله في الصف العجيب
و علىانفراد
نفس النشاط و الإنضباط
نفسالحماس
تسعى و تجيب ولا من رقيب
ولا حتي فيالأمر التباس
ولا في اختلاس
أحسن كتير منبعض ناس
ولا في اختلاس
وهيلا .. وهيلا هيلا .. هيلا
تلقى نفسها في سفينه
تاني في شارع مدينه
و الحكمهبنفس الحماس
و لا حتى في الامر التباس
تلقاها في الصف العجيب
كم مرهتهرب من مداس
من طفلِ عابث و من لهيب
بالحبهتمسك في عناد
الحبه ملك الاتحاد

( 8 )

و الحكمه في مرَّ السحاب
و العلاقه البينوما بين الجذور
و اللسه في الباطن بذور
و غُناالطيور
و المعركه الدارت تصلصل
بسيوفهاو بالحراب
و العلاقه البينو بين الغابهو الهبابه
و الربابه والمنديل
ومجرى النيلو ضلفة باب
و بكية طفله في الكتّاب
تفتش عنقلم رصاص
وقع في الباص
و حس رصاص هدر فيناحيه
فيها العيش حكر للجيش
بتاكل من زمنما فيش
و تشرب من زمن ما فيش
وكاناضراب

( 9 )

و الشمسِ تطلع يبين
أدق ما في الجبال
و تبدا الموانئ العظيمه المرور
و تصحى المصانع بهمه و تدور
و تملا الشوارع و كل الجسور
و تملا الصدور
جموعالشغيله خطاهم فتيله
تخلى القصور تحسبالفتور
و حمى الزوال

( 10 )

و تصحى المدينه
تقوم تستحمَّ و تولع سجاره
تدخن تسخنبشاى الصباح
و حق الملاح و سيد الجزاره
و تقعدتدندن تخيط زراره
ترتق هدوما و تفتقهموما
و تسب الحكومه و تفن الريال
و تمسحسريعاً غبار النعال
و تنزل تواجه مشاكلعويصه
تشرّط قميصا و تدق العيال
ليه العيال ليه العيال
يعيش النضال
يخلى الحكومه تدخن تسخن
بنارالكفاح
و تقعد تطنطن لحدي الصباح
و تطلع بتضلعحزينه و كتومه
تشرّط هدوما و تخش المصحه
يعيش الأصح يعيش الأصح
وضروري
النضال

Ustaza Asha whenever I read your translations I feel your are not a mere translator but rather a gifted poetess so I sincerely congratulate you

Thank you M.Tigani for rating me as a talented translator..
I want to protest though on behalf of translators of literary works;
especially those who translate poetry. Unless a translator has mastered,
beside the basic linguistic and mechanic tools, a taste, an understanding and appreciation of poetry, he or
she should not attempt the exercise. A poorly equipped translator of literary and creative works
is an assassin of the original work and should be condemned for his crime.
Appreciate your visit.

I do believe that translation is an art rather than a craft, You crystalized such purport in your fantastic work Dr. Aisha. You kept the essence of the poems alive, your chosen words are full of lucid passion offered the great Poet a formidable look

Sinnary

Thank you Sinnary for the moral support much needed by a translator of literary works.
I quite agree that it is an Art and not a craft for unless you taste and perhaps even experience
the situation you can hardly reproduce it safe with as much little damage as possible.
Sharif's words, simple as they are, are heart beats of a unique daily life, difficult to be
understood by an alien to the Sudanese life he lived.
A critical view is a major tool of replenishing a translator's work.
Thanks again and Eid Mubarak.