Long Wildflower Poems

Fadwa Tuqan has been called the Grand Dame of Palestinian letters and The Poet of Palestine. These are my translations of Fadwa Tuqan poems originally written in Arabic.



Enough for Me
by Fadwa Tuqan 
loose translation/interpretation by...

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English translations of Arabic poems by Fadwa Tuqan aka "The Poet of Palestine"

Enough for Me
by Fadwa Tuqan 
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Enough for me to lie in the earth,
to be buried in her,
to sink...

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Switzerland,
part of my own historic root system,
has a Bill of Rights for vegetation,
protecting rights of intrinsic dignity
with concomitant human respect for their healthy and aesthetic purposes.
It is not OK to merely throw away 
without regard...

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I never cared to do the dangerous things, and liked to play it safe,
But the strict bonds of ordinariness, can oftentimes start to chafe.

I always preferred to cover my bets, for I hated the idea...

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October Rain

Is it
simply a case of precipitation,
moist warm air condensation or
are they God’s tears showering us with love,
as rain washes away our sorrows,
in the hope of brighter tomorrows.

Gloomy grey skies conceal a shy sun
with murky...

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O beloved chevalier, 
cloaked in shimmering champagne armor,
tonight I long to feel your sultry skin,
embroidered with emerald embellishments 
and twinkling teal topaz, 
tailored to tempt,
veiling these tanned desires.

My soul sways to a chained string 
of...

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I belonged to a family of farmers, we had farmed for generations;
And we were true to our land, as blooms loyal to sweet sensations.

I knew the fierce satisfaction, only derived from working the land;
And sometimes...

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seasons keep m o v i n g 
 and s w i r l i n g
memories keep f l o w i n g 
and s h i f t i n g
through...

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   One bright sunny day, Mrs. Puddles Wuggles took her eight kittens for a walk in

the garden and beyond.  The kittens were named; Glimmer and Tywinkle, Itsy and

Bitsy, Topsy and Turvey, and...

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"betwixt the pulse of our heartbeat
simply present, head-heart linking
dwelling in time stretched blissful peace
awareness became unblinking" ~Unseeking Seeker

I feel the surging bloom of bewitching butterflies,
fluttering in sync to cosmic sage and
saffron sparks~
sailing amidst waves of...

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In a world where I do not exist,  
stars will still glow like sequins of lilac.  

Nightingales would serenade hope,  
fields of fickleness would fade,  
unfolding grains of gold in bloom,...

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To shivering seas 
   mirroring cracked crystals,
I am searching for a righteous rhyme,
to orchestrate eclipsed realms 
with blue orchids 
      and plum blossoms,
singing sunflower symphonies 
of blooming poetry,...

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Saturday Afternoon Before Jack’s 2nd Birthday

A Caravelle wall clock behind me
  ticks away muffled minutes,
Its black pointed hands 
   reaching upward and downward;

The EXIT sign above the open white door
  ...

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“I Am as I Am complete
Though ego opines otherwise
Invoking grace we feel God’s heartbeat 
What else does there remain for us to realise” Unseeking Seeker

When the sun and soul  
speak in seraphic silence,  
I...

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 " Misunderstood 
 by my own metaphors, 
traversing the ivory webs 
 of your cunning twilight ~
which tried to mute those
feminine laments within me, 
  I've metamorphosed 
 to a colourless caterpillar, 
yearning...

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As the peacock-sage 
waves of whimsical peace
faded in silence's 
pale watercolors, 
I masked my 
eerie eyelashes, 
with drifting 
angel-mist smog. 
For, I sensed the 
wistful wailings of 
ambrosial lilies, 
encased in my 
heart's crystal casket,...

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As the mediterranean torrents 
thawed away this wildflower of Medusa ~
once roaring in merciless thunders, 
now, I'm found swaying,
midst lemongrass fields ~
conversing with freshwater naiads
for, every weed is a storyteller
     ...

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Spring whispers joy into the spirit
Promises of hope sing from wildflower 
Melodies, reflecting brilliant smiles
Falling down from moonlit skies

Spring breathes laughter into the heart
Inspiration over the silence of a thought
Prayers compel the soul to feel...

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My son, John, was an engaging fellow, who was barely ten years old;
And liked frogs, marbles and playing ball, in luscious, noontime gold.

My son, John, was rather a dreamer, like the lazy cloud, sky features.
My...

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O to be the humble horizon
that slumbers in restlessness,
I grieve not for the magnolias
that withered amidst
cruel claws of chaotic cravings.
I weep for the serene 
   wildflower whispers
that once upon a blood moon
were lost...

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I was a competent, happy housewife, but that was before my husband died,
Leaving me to rear myriad children solo, as the lone star twinkles with pride.

John had left us a prosperous farm, with a lovely...

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I was a knowledgeable color expert, with a degree in enthralling color theory,
And was proficient with color related software, like evening sun grown weary.

With cognizance of color psychology, and emotional effects of different hues,
I created...

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North Richland Hills grew a rainbow I wanted to hold in my hand
Wand for wishing I don’t know what to reach-ask for?
Plethora is sunshine below the bow along your Texas land
Donned a different approach—your rainbow...

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When love leaves,
it isn’t a soft rain—it’s a thunderclap,
splitting the sky,
leaving you standing in the middle of a field
with nothing but the echo of what should have been.
You become the broken branch,
quivering in the storm,
a...

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From the daggers of pain  of the failures and miseries in life,the horrors of nightmares of constant defeats like a wounded spartan soldier surrounded by a wide Persian army in the battlefield with the...

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