AFTER ALL THESE YEARS
© Farouk
Asvat
a
letter to a friend
wherever
she may be
Anger
swells
Like
an explosion
In
the chest
But
it is too late
To
change lives now
Love
is a strange feeling
I
left behind
In
the disturbances of youth;
The
tiger will not let me off
And
the hyena cannot stop laughing
As
the hippo rides the streets
Besides,
we are too learned now
To
go back to the source
After
all these years
The
emerald dazzle has softened
Your
eyes have black sediments
And
I have aged in my youth
Oh
how the years wasted our lives
How
our tongues could not speak
The
language of our hearts
How
we barricaded
Behind
the myths of our upbringings
© 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
___________________________________________________________________________
[] NA AL DEZE JAREN
Dutch translation by © Irene Scheltes
een brief aan een vriendin
waar zij ook mag zijn
Woede zwelt
Als een explosie
In de borst
Maar het is nu te laat
Om levens te veranderen.
Liefde is een vreemd gevoel
Wat ik achterliet
In de roerselen van mijn jeugd;
De tijger zal me niet laten gaan
En de hyena zan niet stoppen met lachen
Als het nijlpaard door de straten rijdt
Trouwens, we weten nu te veel
Om terug te gaan naar de bron
Na al deze jaren
Is do smaragden glans verflauwd,
In jouw ogen zit zwart bezinksel,
En ik ben in mijn jeugd verouderd:
O de jaren die ons leven verspilden
Onze tongen die niet konden spreken
In de taal van onze harten
Wat hebben we ons verschanst
Achter de mythen van onze opvoeding
Dutch translation by kind permission of © Irene Scheltes
___________________________________________________________________________
[] ΜΕΤΑ ΑΠΟ ΟΛΑ ΑΥΤΑ ΤΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΑ
Greek translation by kind
permission of © Paulos Ioannou
ένα γράμμα
σε μια φίλη
όπου κι αν
είναι
Ο θυμός
φουσκώνει
Σαν έκρηξη
Στο στήθος
Αλλά είναι
πολύ αργά
Να αλλάξουμε
ζωές τώρα
Η αγάπη
είναι ένα περίεργο συναίσθημα
Που άφησα
πίσω μου
Στις
αναταραχές της νιότης
Η τίγρη δεν
μου το επιτρέπει
Και η ύαινα
δεν μπορεί να σταματήσει να γελάει
Καθώς ο
ιπποπόταμος κυκλοφορεί στους δρόμους
Εξάλλου,
είμαστε πολύ μορφωμένοι τώρα
Για να
επιστρέψουμε στην πηγή
Μετά από
τόσα χρόνια
Η
σμαραγδένια λάμψη έχει απαλύνει
Τα μάτια σου
έχουν μαύρα ιζήματα
Κι έχω
γεράσει στα νιάτα μου
Ω πώς τα
χρόνια χάλασαν τη ζωή μας
Πώς οι
γλώσσες μας δεν μπορούσαν
Να μιλήσουν
τη γλώσσα της καρδιάς μας
Πώς
μπλοκαριστήκαμε
Πίσω από
τους μύθους της ανατροφής μας
Greek translation by kind permission of ©
Paulos Ioannou
___________________________________________________________________________
[] acknowledgements:
After All These Years was previously published in:
A Celebration Of Flames (donker, p35, 1987);
English Academy Review 3 (university of the witwatersrand, p6, 1985);
Dokumente Texte und Tendenzen VIII (evangelische akademie, germany, p165, 1987);
A Celebration of Flames (heller fund, uc berkeley, california, usa, p29, 1988);
Culture In Another South Africa, ed w camschreur, j divendal (olive branch press, new york, p198, 1989);
Na Al Deze Jaren: Dutch translation by Irene Scheltes (1989);
Μετα Απο Ολα Αυτα Τα Χρονια: Greek translation by Paulos Ioannou (2022);
A Celebration Of Flames (piquant publications, p47, 2007);
A Celebration of Flames (kindle, 2014);
A Celebration of Flames (amazon paperback, p47, 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 #after #all #these #years
● 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
#liberate #palestine
#stop #massacres
#stop #genocide
