Khabat Arif

International Journal of Kurdish Studies, Jan, 2004

Born in 1959 in Sulaimani, Southern Kurdistan, he has published four poetry collections: The fallen leaves (Stockholm 1986), Hands (Stockholm 1987), Flowers of the Autumn (Stockholm 1993) and The Return of the Stars (Stockholm 1997). Since 1981 he has made his home in Sweden.

THE WORLD IS SPACIOUS

The world is spacious,
and also your heart,
but I'm depressed.
Then for the sake of your spacious heart,
and the greatness of this world,
designate a place for me,
where I can weep wholeheartedly,
and laugh a little.

POWER

When we become powerless,
their pigeons are the whitest.
They cover distances with us calmly;
they fly upon our heads.
Their colour is that of reconciliation.
Their voice is gentle.

When we are powerful,
their colour turns the colour of night in fear.
Their voice becomes a frightening voice,
a voice of torture.
They close all the roads in our faces.
They obstruct the sky.
They turn to arms to kill us.
They turn to knives to slay us.

TO BE MIXED

When our bodies are mixed, delight becomes a rain,
and I feel that the soil smells like love, fire smiles for life,
the wind turns to a child once again.
And the water weeps.

Translated by Farhad Shakely