by dris khali
You know, my mother was afraid that I can no longer resist.
She was absolutely right:
My four sisters have all passed away before the summer shows its fruit.
It was hard "said my mother”, not to see my flowers bloom.
I, the calf of my mother,
I came into the world without my wish.
There was plenty of milk in the breasts of my mother.
Surely, I had nothing to do in this strange world except suck ...
It was my only reason for being;
My only way to tell my mother that she has nothing to fear.
I sucked and cried,
Oh! my mother's milk that flowed into my mouth had the taste of real milk.
My mother, who had no choice to choose her dinner, was very happy to watch me grow every day. Her goats, chickens, the bees, garden, olive trees were there ready to offer all they could offer.
For her interest, I grew and grew.
Mr. Freud was wrong.
° ° °
One spring day,
I had three years, just three years and a few butterflies.
My cousin took me by my own eyes
My own eyes which were climbing up her small grape-breasts
July came on those days
Hot,
Opening its warm arms
To the Goats of my mother, her cow, her cat
And even to the rats
That my cousin did not like.
° ° °
I remember:
In the middle of a jasmine- night
I woke up
Smiling and wet
I had nothing in my garden.
I was eighteen years and three slips.
My cousin who I have a thousand and one nights dreamt of was gone.
I was told she had followed
The way that her knight showed her.
° ° °
These last three evenings,
Some snowballs have invaded my top
I think I have crossed the age of maturity.
At Forty-eight years, my mother whispered this to me:
Your cousin awoke one December -night
The weather was as black as the abyss of a well,
And there was a Frankenstein in her room;
He said he liked too
Her nice brown round breasts.
° ° °
Life, that door which opens on the unexpected
As my mother said,
Must so continue.
° ° °
In a few months and some thorns will come fall,
I'll be sixty-seven years and three hundred and sixty-four days.
It is true that I lost everything:
Bread and milk of my mother
The breasts and fingers of my cousin
My butterflies ...
But I have again and again
An hour and a dream .
You know, my mother told me once
We can do nothing against the dreams of the dawn
And the real choices.
Driss khali
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The story was written in French.
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For being written in another language, this translates remarkably, with an incantatory quality to the language, a chant, song.
Very appealing to the ear and the spirit.
In your words rearranged: This is fruitful without being tiresome.
Exotic. Mysterious. Engaging.
Makes one think; which further sharpens the images.
Enjoyed.
Reread: Idiomatic imprecision counterpointed with precise imagery bring power here. The reader must embrace thoughts formed differently than patois might dictate to fully realize each one.
There is a musicality born of a second language which makes the work very pleasant to both shape in one's mind and read aloud.
If the above makes any sense; these are reasons why I think this piece so enticing as a whole.
Apart from some corrections, It's The site Google -translator which did the translation. I,too, am really amazed by the translation.True the text lacks the musicality found in the original version, yet it's satsfying.
The more amazing is the fact that the original text is written in a language i have never used as a tool of writing. I write in Arabic not in French.
The text' was born'after a meeting with one of my ex-students. She teaches French.She's breast-cancer.
The cancer appears in the text as a Frankstein.
About the comments: I am so delighted.
This is gorgeous.
Beautiful, Driss. Wonderful imagery.
Really like the dreamy quality here mixed with the earthiness of the words. The only thing I would change is to get rid of that last line and let the poem end on "We can do nothing against the dreams of the dawn."Great piece.Many utterly beautiful moments:Life that door which opens on the unexpected must so continue.
Meg, Darrry, Marcelle: I am really happy that you liked the piece.Thanks
I echo the comments here - beautiful dream-like images and movement. I like too your comment regarding the breast cancer/Frankenstein connection. I love these lines: Your cousin awoke one December -night
The weather was as black as the abyss of a well,
"And there was a Frankenstein in her room;
He said he liked too
Her nice brown round breasts." But I needed your note to make full sense of it. I like too how you've structured the lines here. I'm curious to know if you considered writing it in paragraph form? I also would love for you to post the original version here - in French or Arabic? I'd love to see how it looks on the electronic 'page' and also, if it's in French, to read it in its original. *
i'm glad i found this.
Really beautiful, and unlike anything else I've ever read. Your note about Frankenstein = cancer gives me chills, then made me rush to read again. Welcome to fn! Peace *
*
I agree with Linda, Driss.
Fav
Thanks to all of you.I'm so delighted that you appreciate it.