Fog; Voices in the Night Forest; & Date Palms Upriver, translated from the Arabic by Khaled Mattawa

Fog 

 

No boats hovering on the river

and the scattered trees hide behind 

a sky-wide sheet of cotton.

Only the fence rises black in the whiteness. 

The birds that chirped in the early morning fall silent 

and the light fades around the glass lanterns. 

The green of the grass darkens too. 

The doves will not come.

The thicket has closed its doors 

and disappeared 

in the fog. 

 

 

 

 

 

Saadi Youssef (1934–2021) is considered one of the most important contemporary poets in the Arab world. He was born near Basra, Iraq. Following his experience as a political prisoner in Iraq, he spent most of his life in exile. He is the author of over forty books of poetry, two novels, a book of short stories, and several books of essay and memoir, in addition to being an acclaimed literary translator.