It was written first in Arabic. The current version is a free translation.

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From one boat to another,

I wander between hazy lanterns

On the water that suppresses all sound but dim murmurs.

People are festive

And the russet rays dwell among damp faces

Like a swarm of benign gods who survived a holocaust.

The floating wood is mellowed by waves

becomes a waft of musk coming from a mythic age.

O ocean of myths!

How do you make girls’ eyes sweet like dewdrops and deep as solace?

How do you persuade the night to make small banquets taste like eternal stay,

And let palms, necks, and salty lips put on bliss as bracelets, necklaces, and crimson words?

How do you transform the restful bodies into a tranquil forest, a home for speculations?

From one boat, I stroll towards another

through this endlessly floating city

Under the stars that stare at us absentmindedly.

Enjoying the idea of reaching distant misty shores,

I whisper to myself:

Among these countless boats,

There is a face I know

Whose name is written in an unknown language

Hung around my neck

Inscribed on a talisman I’ve never seen.

What’s the benefit of languages and talismans,

When the eyes shine onto each other;

When the memory of the future climbs up the fences of ages

And leaps into the untold time?

From one boat to another,

I search for the moonlit face

That will make me feel home again.

By Fadi Abu-Deeb

From: Syria

Website: http://www.comingeon.com

Twitter: FadiAbuDeeb

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