SAD AND QUIZZICAL
© Farouk Asvat
Your
quizzical eyes,
Round,
and sad like the world,
Will
always bring me back
To
caress with rose-petal lips
Those
lips holding back mysteries;
Your
face taut,
Even
now,
As
we come together
How
sad
Your
sadness must be
To
leave the eternal walk around the fire
For
promises of children
Dancing
to a distant anthem
'There
is someone who loves you'
Bluegums
whisper to me
Watching
the festival of sunset
But
in the shadow of pines
In
the dangling dew of dawn
I
ask of so many things:
But
the wind is silent
Smelling
of rainstorm
And
the waves on the lake
Keep
coming and going.
How
terrible and brief was your desire
How
turgid and tense:
Sadness
that drowned the sea in your eyes
Black
waters still and distant and unfathomable
© farouk asvat
composed: 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
___________________________________________________________________________
● DROEF SPOTTEND
Dutch translation by © Irene Scheltes
Je spottende
ogen,
Rond, en droef
als de wereld,
Zulen mij
altyijd terugveroen
Om te
kozen met rozenlippen
Deze
lippen die mysteries verbergen
Je
gezicht strak gespannen
Zelfs nu,
Nu we samen zijn
Hoe droef
Moet je
droefenis wezen
Om de
eeuwige gang rond het vuur te staken
Vanwege
beloften van kinderen
Dansend
op een lied van verre.
'Er is
iemand die van je houdt'
Fluistert de
eucalyptus me toe
Als ik kijk hoe
de zon feestelijk ondergaat
Maar in de
schaduw de pijnboom
In de drupp'lende dauw van de dageraad
Vrag ik
me zoveel af:
De wind
ligt stil
Geur van
regenstorm
En de
golven van het meer komen en gaan.
Hevig en
kortstondig was je verlangen
Overspannen en
gespannen:
Droefenis
verdronk de zee in je ogen
Nog altijd zwarte
wateren en verweg en niet te peilen
Dutch translation by kind permission of
© Irene Scheltes
___________________________________________________________________________
●
ΛΥΠΗΜΕΝΟ ΚΑΙ
ΑΠΟΡΗΜΕΝΟΣ
Greek translation by © Paulos Ioannou
Τα απορημένα
μάτια σου,
Στρογγυλά,
και λυπημένα όπως ο κόσμος,
Πάντα θα με
φέρνουν πίσω
Να χαϊδεύσω
με ροδοπέταλα χείλη
Αυτά τα
χείλη που συγκρατούν τα μυστήρια.
Το πρόσωπό
σου τεντωμένο,
Ακόμη και
τώρα,
Καθώς
αγκαλιαζόμαστε
Πόσο θλιβερή
Η λύπη σου
πρέπει να είναι
Να αφήσεις
την αιώνια βόλτα γύρω από τη φωτιά
Για
υποσχέσεις παιδιών
Χορεύοντας
σε έναν μακρινό ύμνο
«Υπάρχει
κάποιος που σε αγαπάει»
μου
ψιθυρίζει ο Μαύρος
Παρακολουθώντας
το φεστιβάλ του ηλιοβασιλέματος
Αλλά στη
σκιά των πεύκων
Στην αιωρούμενη δροσιά της αυγής
Ζητώ τόσα
πολλά πράγματα:
Αλλά ο
άνεμος είναι σιωπηλός
Μυρίζει
καταιγίδα
Και τα
κύματα της λίμνης έρχονται και φεύγουν.
Πόσο τρομερή
και σύντομη ήταν η επιθυμία σου
Πόσο
ταραχώδης και τεταμένη:
Θλίψη που
έπνιξε τη θάλασσα στα μάτια σου
Μαύρα νερά
ακίνητα και μακρινά και ανεξιχνίαστα
Greek translation by
kind permission of © Paulos Ioannou
___________________________________________________________________________
[] acknowledgements:
Sad And Quizzical was previously published in:
A Celebration of
Flames (donker, p42, 1987);
A Celebration of
Flames (heller fund, uc berkeley, california, usa, p35,
1988);
Droef Spottend: Dutch translation by Irene Scheltes (1988);
ΛΥΠΗΜΕΝΟ ΚΑΙ ΑΠΟΡΗΜΕΝΟΣ : Greek translation by © Paulos Ioannou (2022);
A Celebration of
Flames (piquant publications,
p56, 2007);
A Celebration Of Flames (kindle, 2014);
A Celebration Of Flames (amazon paperback, p56, 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
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
#love #literature #fiction
#novel #poetry #southafrica #apartheid #books #classics
#faroukasvat #weapons #of
#words #comparative #literature #literary #criticism
#a #celebration #of #flames #Sad #And #Quizzical
● poems @ https://faroukasvat-poems.blogspot.com
● linkedin @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/farouk-asvat-52a6b642
● wikipedia @ https://en.everybodywiki.com/Farouk_Asvat
● all my books @ https://www.amazon.com/author/faroukasvat
● BE
A REVOLUTIONARY!
"Remember
that the highest rank that the human species can reach is to be a revolutionary."
●
Ernesto (Ché) Guevara
"Always
be a poet, even in prose."
●
Charles Baudelaire
"Read
ten thousand books, and your pen will be guided as if by the gods."
●
Ancient Chinese Proverb
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