The road to nowhere ወደ ምንም የሚያደርስው መንገድ
ችኳይ የሚመስለው
ፈጣን የሚመስለው
በውልውል መኪና
በፋሺን መጫምያ
ወይም በባዶ እግሩ
ሸው እልም የሚለው
ይሄ ሁሉ ምሁር ይሄ ሁሉ ማይም
መንገዱን የሞላው ክታችም ክላይም
ሲመላለስ እንጂ ሲደርስ አይታይም፡፡
Translations of this Poem
The road to nowhere
The one who looks to be in a hurry.
The one who looks to be quick.
The one who drives a good car.
The one who wears designer shoes
and the one who goes barefoot.
All these intellectuals and illiterates
travelling up and down the road,
overcrowding it from top to bottom.
Look how they go back and forth
and never get to their destination!
Source: From Modern Poetry in Translation, Series Three, No.10, edited by David and Helen Constantine (Exeter: Short Run Press, 2008). Translated by the author and Chris Beckett, reproduced by the kind permission of the author and translator.
About this poem
This poem, representing Ethiopia, is part of The Written World – our collaboration with BBC radio to broadcast a poem from every single nation competing in London 2012.
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