03 May 2016

I DREAM IN LONG SENTENCES

I DREAM IN LONG SENTENCES 
© Farouk Asvat  

I am a little sad
(As I always am):

I gave my love away
In the misdemeanors of youth,
I gave my life away.

In the clear light of night
The pain of life
Is worse than death,
Than torture even,
Sometimes.

Breaking stones together
In a foreign land
There is no desire
For possession
Only the need for affection

But serene or severe
The scene is set:
Fate has more to say about our lives
Than oppression.
And there is nothing that the stars
Or ideology
Can do to save us.

There is nowhere to go from here
But crawl into the silent pain of desires
Into the sad dance with words
Frolicking on my tongue
Tangoing in my skull

So I dream in long sentences
In short stories that unwind
In lines that weave around me
In oldfashioned cinematographic reels
In poems that descend from heaven
Or spiral up from the garbage
In sheets that wrap around you
And wild scenes I vaguely remember in the morning
In science fiction
And fabulous fables
In dubious love stories
And tedious epics
In unwritten sequences
And silent musicals
In charcoal sketches
That fill up
With watercolours

I dream about you 

© farouk asvat 

+ #korean #translations 
___________________________________________________________________________    
***** 5-STAR AMAZON REVIEW
"If you like poetry you’ll love the way this poet writes.  Wonderfully written.
 His voice and thoughts speak volumes in a way that can be understood by all."
● Leslie Howell - 5-Star Amazon Review *****

***** 5-STAR GOODREADS REVIEW
___________________________________________________________________________     
[] acknowledgements:
I Dream In Long Sentences was previously published in:
Goodreads (usa, 11.11.2011, december 2011);
I Dream In Long Sentences (kindle, 2015);
I Dream In Long Sentences (amazon paperback, p77, 2015).

composed: 10.11.1990: 
I Dream In Long Sentences: [cape town, south africa under apartheid]:
     24.07.1992 (24h00): Breaking Stones Together,
     19.02.1995: I Gave My Love Away
     31.12.1996: final: (johannesburg, south africa under new apartheid).
___________________________________________________________________________  
[§] Books by Farouk Asvat:

Sadness In The House Of Love (novel)
The Gathering Of The Storm (novel)
I Dream In Long Sentences (poetry)
The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs (poetry)
A Celebration Of Flames (poetry)
The Time Of Our Lives (poetry)
This Masquerade (short stories)
Bra Frooks … (poetry)*
The Paanies Are Coming (short stories)*
In The House Of Love (novel)*
Weapons Of Words (comparative literature & literary criticism)

¨ all my books are now available on amazon: in paperback & kindle
___________________________________________________________________________  
문장으로 꿈꿔  
© 파룩 아스밧  

Korean translation by © JI YOUNG LEE 이지영  

조금 슬퍼
( 그렇듯이):

사랑을 줘버렸어
어린 못된짓으로써
인생을 날려버렸어

밤의 깨끗한 공기
삶의 아픔은
죽음보다 나아,
무려 고문보다,
때때로.

함께 돌을 부닥치기
이국 땅에서
소유하고자하는
그런 욕망은 없어
애정을 원할

하지만 고요하거나 너무한
장면이 갖추어진다:
운명은 우리 삶에 요할 것이
억압보다 많다.
그리고 아무것도 저곳의 별이나
혹은 이데올로기
아무것도 우리를 구하지 못한다.

여기서 어디로 없으니
욕망의 없는 아픔으로 기어들어갈수밖에
단어와의 슬픈 속으로
혀에서 기쁘게 놀아나는
두개골에서 탱고 추는 단어와

그래서 문장으로 꿈꿔
풀리지 않는 짧은 이야기로
나를 둘러싸며 얽히는 문장들로
구식 영사기의 릴들로
하늘에서 내려온 시로
혹은 쓰레기로부터 나선으로 올라가는
너를 애워싸는 시트들로
그리고 아침에 내가 멍하니 기억하는 야생 장면으로
에스에프 소설로
꾸며낸 우화로
수상쩍은 로맨스로
사소한 서사시로
시퀀스로
없는 뮤지컬로
목탄 스케치로
채워가며
수채화로

꿈꿔

Korean translation kind courtesy © JI YOUNG LEE 이지영  
___________________________________________________________________________     
나는 문장으로 꿈을 꾸지!  
© 파루크 아스바트  

     Korean Translation by © Byeong Cheol Kang

나는 조금 슬퍼
(항상 그렇듯이):

젊은 시절 비행으로 
사랑을 버렸어,
삶을 버렸지.

밤의 맑은 속에서
인생의 고통은
죽음보다 나쁘지,
심지어 고문보다도,
가끔은.

외국 땅에서 함께 돌을 부수며
소유욕은 없어,
단지 애정만이 필요할 뿐이야.

하지만 차분하거나 엄한 풍경이든
상황은 이미 정해져 있어:
운명이 우리의 삶에 대해 말할 거야
억압보다도.
그리고 별들이나 이념이
우리를 구할 방법은 없어

여기서 곳은 없어
그저 침묵하는 욕망의 고통 속으로 기어들어 가야
슬픈 단어들과 함께 추는 슬픈 속으로
위에서 노는 말들과 함께 탱고를
그래서 문장들로 꿈을 꾸지
해제되어 풀어지는 단편 이야기로
나를 둘러싸는 줄들로
옛날식 시네마 릴로
하늘에서 내려오는 시로
혹은 쓰레기 속에서 솟아오른 시로
너를 감싸는 시트로
그리고 아침에 희미하게 기억나는 화려한 장면들로
과학 소설 속에서
환상적인 이야기들로
의심스러운 사랑 이야기로
지루한 서사시로
쓰지 않은 연속물로
침묵하는 뮤지컬로
목탄 스케치로
그것들은 수채화로 

채워지지

     Korean Translation by kind permission of © Byeong Cheol Kang

part of Kang Byeong-Cheol's 'World View' #12
© J.Nuri - unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited
___________________________________________________________________________     
© farouk asvat.  All rights reserved.
Farouk Asvat asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means whatsoever, or transmitted in any form or any means whatsoever, mechanical or electronic, including recording, printing, photocopying, or via any computerised means or media, including the internet.  This publication shall also not be stored in a retrieval system.  And the writing shall not be sold, lent, hired, resold or circulated in any form or binding or cover other than that in which it is published,
without the prior permission of the author in writing.
Permission to publish or reproduce the writings in any format can be obtained from the author.
Reproduction of this work without permission, except for scholarly & nonprofit purposes,
is liable to a payment of 10 000 yuan (ren men bi) or US$ 1,500.

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
the NOVEL Sadness In The House Of Love by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: in paperback @ $20 & kindle @ only $5
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

#love #literature #fiction #novel #poetry #southafrica #apartheid #books #classics
#faroukasvat #weapons #of #words #comparative #literature #literary #criticism
#i #dream #in #long #sentences #i #dream #in #long #sentences 
+ #korean #translations 


26 April 2016

O MARLÉNE!

O MARLÉNE!  
© Farouk Asvat  

     a free-wheeling song for Bob Dylan

O Marléne! your country is going to war;
and you are riding ponies
and jumping cowboys at rodeos.

O Marléne! you said
you never would do
what your pappa once did;

O Marléne! with all your learning,
you are only doing
what he once did.

And O Marléne! the new guy
looks very much like the old guy
with the moustache.

O Marléne! you are caught up in the web;
you have lost the knowledge
of the little girl you once had.

O Marléne! don't lie to me,
don't say there is nothing
you can do.

O Marléne! you keep saying
"I could join a group;
 but what can one little girl do?"

O Marléne! you know that's not true;
it only sounds like something
someone once said in Germany.

O Marléne! riding ponies in California,
why don't you go to war
against your country?

O Marléne! riding horses in Albuquerque,
why don't you go
to the one who loves you?


© farouk asvat

[] composed: saturday 15.02.2003 [cape town, south africa under apartheid].
     INTERNATIONAL MARCH AGAINST THE WAR AGAINST IRAQ
     - held from Cape Town to San Francisco -
     AGAINST THE USA, UN, UK, France, Australia and their puppets.
          (final: johannesburg: 16.12.2003).

[] Acknowledgements:
O Marléne! was previously published in:
     Goodreads (usa, 12.01.2012, February 2012).
     I Dream In Long Sentences (kindle, 2015);
     I Dream In Long Sentences (amazon paperback, p75, 2015).
[§] Books by Farouk Asvat:

Sadness In The House Of Love (novel)
The Gathering Of The Storm (novel)
I Dream In Long Sentences (poetry)
The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs (poetry)
A Celebration Of Flames (poetry)
The Time Of Our Lives (poetry)
This Masquerade (short stories)
Bra Frooks … (poetry)*
The Paanies Are Coming (short stories)*
In The House Of Love (novel)*
Weapons Of Words (comparative literature & literary criticism)

¨ all my books are now available on amazon: in paperback & kindle
___________________________________________________________________________  
© farouk asvat.  All rights reserved.
Farouk Asvat asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means whatsoever, or transmitted in any form or any means whatsoever, mechanical or electronic, including recording, printing, photocopying, or via any computerised means or media, including the internet.  This publication shall also not be stored in a retrieval system.  And the writing shall not be sold, lent, hired, resold or circulated in any form or binding or cover other than that in which it is published,
without the prior permission of the author in writing.
Permission to publish or reproduce the writings in any format can be obtained from the author.
Reproduction of this work without permission, except for scholarly & nonprofit purposes,
is liable to a payment of 10, 000 ren men bi or US$ 1,500.

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
the NOVEL Sadness In The House Of Love by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: in paperback @ $15 & kindle @ only $5
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

#love #literature #fiction #novel #poetry #southafrica #apartheid #books #classics
#faroukasvat #weapons #of #words #comparative #literature #literary #criticism
#war #germany #usa #un #uk #france #australia #puppets
#international #march #against #war #against #iraq
#capetown #sanfrancisco #california #albuquerque #newmexico
#cowboys #rodeos #riding #horses #ponies
#bob #dylan #bobdylan
#i #dream #in #long #sentences #o #marlene


19 April 2016

IT WASN'T THAT YOU LOVED ME

IT WASN'T THAT YOU LOVED ME  
© Farouk Asvat  

It wasn't that you loved me:
It was just that you were piqued:

By my going away
To some calling
Not of my choice
Not to your liking

It wasn't that you loved me:
It was just you imagining
Being an erotic lover
Buoyant with sexual analysis

It wasn't that you loved me:
It was just that you were you
And I was I
In a country not our own

It wasn't that you loved me:
It was just you being vindictive
For me not being
Who you wanted me to be

It wasn't that you loved me:
It was just you being vindictive
For me leaving
For my unhappy destiny

It wasn't that you loved me:
It was just you being vindictive
For me not revealing my poems
Before they were ready to be delivered

It wasn't that you loved me:
It was just you being vindictive
For me not being who you wanted me to be
For me being who I was supposed to be

And now I am vindicated
By the absence of your love


© farouk asvat

composed: 05.05.2009 [johannesburg, south africa under apartheid].

[] Acknowledgements:
It Wasn't That You Loved Me was previously published in:
     Goodreads (usa, 17.10.2012, november 2012).
     I Dream In Long Sentences (kindle, 2015);
     I Dream In Long Sentences (amazon paperback, p73, 2015).
[§] Books by Farouk Asvat:

Sadness In The House Of Love (novel)
The Gathering Of The Storm (novel)
I Dream In Long Sentences (poetry)
The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs (poetry)
A Celebration Of Flames (poetry)
The Time Of Our Lives (poetry)
This Masquerade (short stories)
Bra Frooks … (poetry)*
The Paanies Are Coming (short stories)*
In The House Of Love (novel)*
Weapons Of Words (comparative literature & literary criticism)

¨ all my books are now available on amazon: in paperback & kindle
___________________________________________________________________________  
© farouk asvat.  All rights reserved.
Farouk Asvat asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means whatsoever, or transmitted in any form or any means whatsoever, mechanical or electronic, including recording, printing, photocopying, or via any computerised means or media, including the internet.  This publication shall also not be stored in a retrieval system.  And the writing shall not be sold, lent, hired, resold or circulated in any form or binding or cover other than that in which it is published,
without the prior permission of the author in writing.
Permission to publish or reproduce the writings in any format can be obtained from the author.
Reproduction of this work without permission, except for scholarly & nonprofit purposes,
is liable to a payment of 10, 000 ren men bi or US$ 1,500.

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
the NOVEL Sadness In The House Of Love by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: in paperback @ $15 & kindle @ only $5
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

#love #literature #fiction #novel #poetry #southafrica #apartheid #books #classics
#faroukasvat #weapons #of #words #comparative #literature #literary #criticism
#i #dream #in #long #sentences #it #wasn't #that #you #loved #me


12 April 2016

WHAT DOES IT MATTER NOW

WHAT DOES IT MATTER NOW  
© Farouk Asvat  

The heart explodes
Each time it passes by a thought of you

What does it matter now
That I love you so much
That dreams lie to me
That carnivals are so far away
That burns take so long to heal
That bones are so easy to break


© farouk asvat

composed: 17.04.1992 & 14.10.1993 [johannesburg, south africa under apartheid].

[] Acknowledgements:
What Does It Matter Now was previously published in:
     wherepoetry24 (usa, 11.11.2011, December 2011);
     I Dream In Long Sentences (kindle, 2015);
     I Dream In Long Sentences (amazon paperback, p72, 2015).
[§] Books by Farouk Asvat:

Sadness In The House Of Love (novel)
The Gathering Of The Storm (novel)
I Dream In Long Sentences (poetry)
The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs (poetry)
A Celebration Of Flames (poetry)
The Time Of Our Lives (poetry)
This Masquerade (short stories)
Bra Frooks … (poetry)*
The Paanies Are Coming (short stories)*
In The House Of Love (novel)*
Weapons Of Words (comparative literature & literary criticism)

¨ all my books are now available on amazon: in paperback & kindle
___________________________________________________________________________  
© farouk asvat.  All rights reserved.
Farouk Asvat asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means whatsoever, or transmitted in any form or any means whatsoever, mechanical or electronic, including recording, printing, photocopying, or via any computerised means or media, including the internet.  This publication shall also not be stored in a retrieval system.  And the writing shall not be sold, lent, hired, resold or circulated in any form or binding or cover other than that in which it is published,
without the prior permission of the author in writing.
Permission to publish or reproduce the writings in any format can be obtained from the author.
Reproduction of this work without permission, except for scholarly & nonprofit purposes,
is liable to a payment of 10, 000 ren men bi or US$ 1,500.

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
the NOVEL Sadness In The House Of Love by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: in paperback @ $15 & kindle @ only $5
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

#love #literature #fiction #novel #poetry #southafrica #apartheid #books #classics
#faroukasvat #weapons #of #words #comparative #literature #literary #criticism
#i #dream #in #long #sentences #what #does #it #matter #now