20 March 2012

SAD AND QUIZZICAL

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]

[] Acknowledgements:

Sad And Quizzical was previously published in:

     A Celebration of Flames (Donker, p42, 1987);
     A Celebration of Flames (Heller Fund, UC Berkeley, California, p35, 1988);
     Droef Spottend: Dutch translation by Irene Scheltes (1988);
     A Celebration of Flames (piquant publications, p56, 2007);
     www.faroukasvat-poems.blogspot.com (20.03.2012);
     A Celebration Of Flames (kindle, 2014);
     A Celebration Of Flames (amazon paperback, p56, 2014).
______________________________________________________________
[§] 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)
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.

farouk asvat can be contacted at: farouk.asvat@gmail.com

[] please check out my blogs @:





books by farouk asvat: www.faroukasvat-books.blogspot.com

[] also link up on:






amazon kindle author @ www.amazon.com/author/faroukasvat

_______________________________________________________  
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

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
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
#a celebration of flames #sad and quizzical #sad #quizzical


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