Dina Al-Mahdy

Some We Love: A Poem by Lebanese Poet Khalil Gibran; Translated by Dina Al-Mahdy (En/Ar)

Some we love…

But we don’t get close to them… as they are prettier from afar..

As they are higher from afar..

As they are more precious from afar…

Some we love…

We desire being near them, share details of life with them..

We get hurt if we had to leave them..

And it’s so hard for us to imagine life without them…

Some we love…

And we wish to live a nice story with them..

And we invent causes to meet them..

We fake coincidence to see them..

And we live with them in imagination more than reality…

Some we love…

But between us and ourselves only..

And we keep silence in spite of the pain..

And we don’t announce our love, not even to them..

Because the barriers are many and the consequences are frightening..

And it’s better for them and us to keep the doors between us closed…

And some we love…

And we fill the world with their love..

And we talk to the universe about them..

And we need them.. like water.. like air..

And we suffocate in their absence…

Some we love…

Because we find no other and the need for love pushes us towards them..

Because days are passing by and life is ending and time never stops and it terrifies us to be alone..

Some we love…

Because people like them deserve to be loved..

And we can’t but love them..

And so we learn beautiful things from them..

And we rebuild many things with them..

And we repaint life all over again..

And we work so sincerely to give them some happiness.. if not all…

Some we love…

But we find no echo for that love in their hearts.

And so we fall apart and we break down and we flop in futile stories..

We never hate them nor forget them..

We never love other ones and we cry for them after each failing attempt…

And some we love…

And it remains only for them to love us like we love them…

—Khalil Gibran

البعض نحبهم

‎لكن لا نقترب منهم .. فهم في البعد أحلى

‎وهم في البعد أرقى .. وهم في البعد أغلى

‎البعض نحبهم

‎ونسعى كي نقترب منهم

‎ونتقاسم تفاصيل الحياة معهم

‎ويؤلمنا الابتعاد عنهم

‎ويصعب علينا تصوّر الحياة حين تخلو منهم.

‎البعض نحبهم

‎بيننا و بين أنفسنا

‎نصمت برغم الألم

‎لا نجاهر بحبهم حتى لهم لأن

‎العواقب مخيفه و من الأفضل لنا و لهم أن تبقى الأبواب مغلقة

‎البعض نحبهم

‎فنملأ الأرض بحبهم و نحدث الدنيا عنهم

‎و نحتاج إلى وجودهم .. كالماء .. والهواء

‎و نختنق فى غيابهم أو الأبتعاد عنهم

‎البعض نحبّهم

‎لأننا لا نجد سواهم

‎وحاجتنا إلى الحب تدفعنا نحوهم

‎فالأيام تمضي

‎والعمر ينقضي

‎والزمن لا يقف

‎ويرعبنا بأن نبقى بلا رفيق

‎البعض نحبهم

‎لأن مثلهم لا يستحق سوى الحب

‎ولا نملك أمامهم سوى أن نحب

‎نرمم معهم أشياء كثيرة

‎نعيد طلاء الحياة

‎ونسعى صادقين كي نمنحهم بعض السعادة

‎البعض نحبهم

‎و لا نجد صدى للحب في

‎قلوبهم

‎فننهار

‎ونتخبط في حكايات فاشلة

‎فلا نكرههم

‎لا ننساهم

‎لا نحب سواهم

‎ونعود نبكيهم بعد كل محاولة فاشلة

‎والبعض نحبّهم

‎ويبقى فقط أن يحبّوننا

‎مثلما نحبّهم.

 جبران خليل جبران—

©2018 Dina Al-Mahdy All Rights Reserved

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20 comments

  2. I am so glad you shared this, i love kahlil gibran and all arabic/middle eastern poets of old. I wish i was proficient in Arabic and Persian that i could read their poems like a natural. Please check my post “melody of the week – yadegare doost”. Its a music video of Rumi’s yadegare doost sung by an iranian singer “shahrem nazeri”. Tell me what you think about it.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Khalil Gibran is one of my favorite poets. I recommend his English chef d’oeuvres “The Prophet”. It’s super amazing. Thanks for your valuable feedback on my English translation.

      Like

      Reply

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