Kabul!
By Mahtab Sahel
Translated by Asadullah Jafari “Pezhman”
My debased bed is Kabul
My explosive heart is Kabul
My crying and my worktable are Kabul
The absence of my friend is Kabul
You are ruined, the musical instruments are gone
The teenagers have left you
Tired, like my cold embrace
My kingless city is Kabul
It is migration season, the nests are empty
The gardens are empty of songs
It is suffocating, the roads are empty
My springless homeland is Kabul
Saracens shaved your chest
sprinkled acid on your face
The glory of your shoulders is stable
My companion girl is Kabul
My ancestors are Kabul
I’m nailed to your wall like a mirror
You are shaking
You cry that I am so devastated,
My comrade woman is Kabul
Your patience and heavy mountains,
The deer fascinate me
On the shoulders of pride,
my precious darling is Kabul.
