A CELEBRATION OF FLAMES
© Farouk Asvat
Do not disturb
The sanctity of my home
When you throw a molotov
Through the shattered pain:
All over the land
Children, put your mothers out
Raze their homes
In a celebration of flames
And acrid tyres smelling of life
Build a bonfire of ashes
Ululating with delight,
And then
Without name or face
Bury yourselves
If you still possess the skin of shame
And you,
Flaunting the tribal feathers of liberation
And you, assuming the crown
In purple robes of piety
Or golden robes of rhetoric,
Make glib statements
Counting score
Of dead and maimed
Amongst our own
On rosaries that flame with burning flesh
What
are we
Reduced
to?
What
insanity
Now
drives my people
From the fires
Of
liberation
To
the corpses of doom
Writhing
In
the dance
Of
a final
Farewell.
All around me I see ruin.
The ruin of land
The ruin of people
Convoys
of dusty hippos
Patrol the blood-laden streets
Of
another jungle
Shooting
innocent blood:
Children
contorted in happy games
Mothers
shot in the moment of birth
Virgins
driven to a lonely veld
Echoing
with the madness of their lives
And you, my brother,
Do not stir in your rotten grave
Lie awake and wonder
How they deny your naked ghost
Tied to a chain,
For Azania is up in flames again
And even your friends do not remember
The anguish of its dreams
And you, son of the soil,
Do not ponder too long
Let the gods keep you there
In your heaven of so many sorrows,
For so few
Carry burning memories
Of a feverish uprising
That history books have forgotten
And you, my comrade,
Do not pace too many times
For they do many things in your name
Carry you on bright banners
So you can roam your cage in agitation
And watch a country burn
To cinders of despair
In the anthem of the revolution
©
farouk asvat
composed: july` 1985 [johannesburg, south africa under #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 (literary criticism)
¨ all my books are now available
on amazon: in paperback & kindle
___________________________________________________________________________
¨ A CELEBRATION OF FLAMES by FAROUK ASVAT
§ WINNER OF THE VITA AWARD
""A
Celebration of Flames" is a powerful, impassioned call. The sanity
and courage of this collection arises from the poet's unique experiential
perceptions of his milieu, making him one of the few who can write about these
traumatic times with such lucidity and lyricism. The strength of Farouk Asvat's
poetry lies in the way he intertwines the complex elements of social and
political conflicts with intense personal relationships. The wide tonal range
extends from sensual and delicate insights into the nature of passion to the
satiric and humorous use of slang."
● Vita Award citation
"Like
hesitating snowflakes his words are fascinating in their capricious wilfulness -
like unexpected strokes of a whip."
● Susanne Baackmann, University Of
Albuquerque, USA
"His love
poetry soars with an intense sensitivity, it celebrates lyrically the joys of a
most exquisite sensuousness."
● Marcia Leveson,
University Of The Witwatersrand, The Indicator
""A
Celebration of Flames" (is) a powerful, impassioned call. I admire the sanity and courage of this. Your position and perception make you one of
the few who can write on this subject without obscenity."
● Lionel Abrahams,
editor Purple Renoster & Sesame
"The legend
of poet extraordinaire Farouk Asvat: - like vintage wine, proper poetry matures
with time, and like vintage art the voice and wisdom of a poet worth the name
is timeless."
● Mphutlane wa
Bofelo, kagablog
"you almost
catch your breath at some of the stanzas - you can re-read it several times and
be struck by new ideas, metaphors, elegiac surprises, and the heartfelt
poignancy "
● Aggrey Klaaste,
editor Sowetan
"Out of an angry silence, a polished poet is born."
● Anton Harber,
editor Weekly Mail
___________________________________________________________________________
● EEN FEEST VAN VLAMMEN
Dutch translation © Irene Scheltes
Schend niet
De heiligheid van mijn huis
Als je een molotov gooit
Door de verbrijzelde pijn;
In het hele land
Kinderen, zet je moeders buiten de deur
Breek hun huizen af
In een feest van vlammen
En autobanden met de scherpe stank van leven
Leg een vreugdevuur aan van as
Jammerend van verrukking,
En dan
Zonder naam of gezicht
Begraaf jezelf,
Als schaamte je huid nog kan doordringen
En jij,
Pronkend met de stamveren der vrijheid
En jij, die de kroon aanvaardt,
In purperen gewaden van vroomheid
Of gouden gewaden van retoriek,
Leg gladde verklaringen af
Maak de balans op
Van doden en verminkten
Onder de onzen
In rozenperken die vlammen van brandend vlees
Waar zijn we toe
Verlaagd?
Welke waanzin
Drijft mijn volk nu
Van de vuren
Der bevrijding
Naar de dodelijke ondergang
Kronkelend
In de dans
Van een definitief
Afscheid.
Overal rondom mij zie ik verwoesting.
De verwoesting van land
De verwoesting van mensen
Stoffige konvooien patrouilleren
In de bloedbesmeurde straten
Van een nieuwe jungle
Schietend op onschuldig bloed;
Kinderen verwrongen in vrolijk spel
Moeders neergeschoten bij het baren
Maagden naar een eenzame vlakte gedreven
Waar de waanzin van hun levens weerklinkt
En jij, mijn broeder,
Verroer je niet in je verrotte graf
Blijf wakker en vraag je af
Hoe ze je naakte schim negeren
Gebonden aan een keten
Want Azania staat weer in lichterlaaie
En zelfs je vrienden herinneren zich niet
De zielenpijn van haar dromen
En jij, zoon van de bodem,
Pieker niet te lang
Laat de goden je daar behoeden
In de hemel van zoveel smarten
Want zo weinig mensen
Dragen de toorts der herinnering
Aan een koortsachtige opstand
In geschiedenisboeken vergeten
En jij, mijn kameraad,
Loop niet te veel op en neer
Want ze doen vele dingen in jouw naam
Dragen je mee op blinkende banieren
Zodat jij gejaagd kunt dwalen in je kooi
En toezien hoe een land in vlammen opgaat
Tot sintels van wanhoop
In het lied van de revolutie
Dutch translation by kind permission of © Irene Scheltes
___________________________________________________________________________
● ALEVLER DEN BIR KUTLAMA
Turkish translation by © İlyas Tunç
Dokunmayın
Kutsallığına
yurdumun
Bir
molotov fırlattığınızda
Paramparça
acılar arasından:
Ülkemin her yerinde
Çocuklar, kaldırın ortadan annelerinizi
Dümdüz edin evlerini onların
Alevlerden bir kutlamada,
Yaşamın yanmış lastik kokularında
Şenlik ateşleri yakın küllerden
Çığlıklar atarak sevinçle,
Sonra
Yüzsüz, isimsiz
Gömün kendinizi
Varsa hâlâ utanç deriniz.
Ve siz,
Özgürlüğün kabile tüylerini övünerek gösteren
Ve siz, dindarlığın mor cüppeleri
Ya da tumturaklı sözlerin altın urbaları içinde
Sarığını giyen,
Açıklamalar yapın yarım yamalak
Yanan gövdelerle yalazlanan tespihler üzerinde
Hesaplayarak
Kendi aramızdaki
Ölüleri ve yaralıları.
Nasıl kırıldı
Direncimiz?
Hangi
çılgınlık
Sürüklüyor
halkımı şimdi
Özgürlüğün
Alevlerinden
Yazgının
cesetlerine
Acıdan kıvrana
kıvrana
Son bir kez
Vedalaşma
Dansında.
Yıkıntılar
görüyorum dört bir yanımda
Ülkemin
yıkıntıları
Yıkıntıları
halkın
Çamurlu su
aygırı konvoyları
Yürüyor kan
bulaşmış sokaklarında
Başka bir
keşmekeşin
Kurşunlayarak
masum soyları:
Neşeli
oyunlarında sakatlanmış çocuklar
Doğum
anlarında vurulmuş anneler
Yaşamlarının
çılgınlığıyla yankılanan
Issız bir
vadiye sürüklenmiş bakire kızlar
Ve siz,
kardeşim,
Kıpırdamayın
çürümüş mezarınızda
Yatın
tetikte ve bakın
Nasıl
inkar ediyorlar zincire bağlanmış
Çıplak
ruhunu senin.
Çünkü Azanya alevler içinde yükseliyor
yeniden
Hatta
hatırlamıyorlar arkadaşların
Onun
sıtmalı düşlerini
Ve siz,
toprağın oğlu
Kafa
yormayın uzun süre
Bırakın
tanrılar korusun sizi orada
Nice
acılardan oluşan cennetinizde.
Çünkü,
çok az kişi hatırlar
Tarih
kitaplarının unuttuğu
Hummalı
bir isyanın
Yakıcı
anılarını.
Ve siz,
yoldaşım benim,
Volta
atmayın durmadan
Çünkü,
senin adına onlar yaparlar bir çok şeyi
Taşırlar
parlak afişler üzerinde seni
Öyleyse,
dolaşabilirsin kafesinde can çekişerek,
İzleyebilirsin
bir ülkenin
Umutsuzluk
cürüfuna dönüşünü
Devrim
marşıyla.
Turkish translation by kind
permission of © İlyas Tunç
___________________________________________________________________________
● ΜΙΑ ΓΙΟΡΤΗ ΤΩΝ
ΦΛΟΓΩΝ
Greek translation by © Paulos Ioannou
Μην διαταράσσεται
Την ιερότητα του
σπιτιού μου
Όταν
πετάτε μολότοφ
Μέσα από τον
θρυμματισμένο πόνο:
Σε
όλη τη χώρα
Παιδιά,
διώξτε τις μητέρες σας,
Ισοπεδώστε
τα σπίτια τους
Σε
μια γιορτή των φλογών
Και
καυστικά λάστιχα που μυρίζουν ζωή
Χτίστε
μια φωτιά από στάχτες
Ξεχειλισμένοι
από χαρά,
Και
μετά
Χωρίς
όνομα ή πρόσωπο
Θάψτε
τον εαυτό σας
Αν
εξακολουθείτε να έχετε το δέρμα της ντροπής
Και
εσύ,
Καμαρώνεις
τα φυλετικά φτερά της απελευθέρωσης
Κι
εσύ, υιοθετώντας το στέμμα
Σε
πορφυρές ρόμπες ευσέβειας
Ή
χρυσές ρόμπες της ρητορικής,
Κάνε
επιπόλαιες δηλώσεις
Μετρώντας
εικοσάδες
Νεκρών
και ακρωτηριασμένων
Μεταξύ
των δικών μας
Πάνω
σε κομποσκοίνια που καίγονται με φλεγόμενη σάρκα
Που καταντήσαμε;
Τι τρέλα
Τώρα διώχνει τον
κόσμο μου
Από τις φωτιές
Της απελευθέρωσης
Στα πτώματα της
καταστροφής
Που σπαρταρούν
Στο χορό
Του τελευταίου
Αποχαιρετισμού.
Γύρω μου βλέπω ερείπια.
Η καταστροφή της χώρας
Η καταστροφή των ανθρώπων
Συνοδεία σκονισμένων
ιπποπόταμων
Περιπολούν τους
γεμάτους αίματα δρόμους
Μιας άλλης ζούγκλας
Πυροβολώντας αθώο
αίμα:
Παιδιά παραμορφωμένα
σε χαρούμενα παιχνίδια
Μητέρες που
τουφεκίστηκαν τη στιγμή της γέννας
Παρθένες οδηγημένες
σε μοναχικό λιβάδι
Οδύρονται με την
τρέλα της ζωής τους
Κι εσύ αδερφέ μου,
Μην σαλεύεις στον
σάπιο τάφο σου
Ξάπλωσε ξύπνιος και
απορημένος
Έτσι που αρνούνται
το γυμνό σου φάντασμα
Δεμένο σε μια
αλυσίδα,
Γιατί η Αζάνια είναι
ξανά στις φλόγες
Ούτε ακόμη και οι
φίλοι σου δεν θυμούνται
Την αγωνία των
ονείρων της
Κι εσύ, γιε της γης,
Μη συλλογίζεσαι πολύ
Άσε τους θεούς να σε
κρατήσουν εκεί
Στον παράδεισο
των τόσων θλίψεων σου,
Γιατί πολύ λίγοι
Συγκρατούν
φλεγόμενες αναμνήσεις
Από μια πυρετώδη
εξέγερση
Που τα βιβλία της ιστορίας έχουν ξεχάσει
Κι εσύ, σύντροφε,
Μην πηγαινοέρχεσαι
πάνω κάτω τόσες πολλές φορές
Γιατί διαπράττουνε
πολλά πράγματα στο όνομά σου.
Σε κουβαλούν πάνω σε
φωτεινά πανό
Έτσι που να μπορείς
να περιπλανιέσαι στο κλουβί σου Δυσφορούμενος
Και να παρακολουθείς
μια χώρα να καίγεται
Σε στάχτες της
απελπισίας
Στον ύμνο της
επανάστασης
Greek translation by kind permission
of ©
Paulos Ioannou
___________________________________________________________________________
[] acknowledgements:
A Celebration Of Flames
was previously published in:
A Celebration of
Flames (donker,
p67-69, 1987);
Dokumente Texte und Tendenzen
VIII (evangelische
akademie, germany, p163, 1987);
Matatu: Towards
Liberation:culture and resistance in south africa ed G Davis, M Manaka, J
Jansen,
(göttingen, germany, # 3(4), p46, 1988);
A Celebration of Flames (heller fund, uc berkeley, usa, p57, 1988);
Een Feest Van Flammen: Dutch translation by Irene Scheltes, (1989);
ΜΙΑ ΓΙΟΡΤΗ ΤΩΝ ΦΛΟΓΩΝ Greek translation by © Paulos Ioannou
(2022);
Broken Strings: the politics
of poetry in south africa ed S Finn, R Gray
(maskew miller longman, cape
town, p130-132`, 1992);
African Literature In The Eighties (matatu 10, ed D Riemenschneider, F Schulze-Engler,
(rodopi, amsterdam, netherlands &
atlanta, usa, 1993);
A Celebration of
Flames (piquant publications, p92-94, 2007);
Alevlar Den Bir Kutlama: Turkish translation by İlyas Tunç,: Contemporary
South African Poetry Anthology,
Çağdaş
Güney Afrïka Şïrï Antolojïsï (bencekitap publishing, istanbul, p231, 2013);
A Celebration Of Flames (kindle, 2014);
A Celebration Of Flames (amazon paperback, p90, 2014).
______________________________________________________________
© 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
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
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#words #comparative #literature #literary #criticism
#a #celebration #of #flames #a #celebration #of #flames
