Skip to content

Scottish Poetry Library

Register/Sign in
Shopping Bag Shopping Bag
Bringing people and poems together
  • Home
  • Poetry
    • Poets
    • Poems
    • Makar – National Poet
      • Our Waking Breath: A Poem-letter from Scotland to Ukraine
      • A Woman’s A Woman
      • The story of the Makar – National Poet of Scotland
    • Best Scottish Poems
    • Spiorad an Àite
      Spirit of Place
    • The Trysting Thorns
    • Poetry Ambassadors
      Tosgairean na Bàrdachd
      • Poetry Commissions: Walter Scott 250
        Coimiseanan Bàrdachd: Walter Scott 250
      • Poetry Ambassadors 2021
    • Poetry Ambassadors 2020
    • Posters
    • Podcasts
  • Library
    • Become a borrower
    • Catalogue
    • Collections
    • Ask a librarian
    • Copyright enquiries
  • Learning
    • SQA set texts
    • Learning resources
    • Designing sensory poetry activities
    • Children’s poems in Scots
    • National Poetry Day archive
    • New to poetry?
    • Advice for poets
  • Events
    • What’s On
    • Meeting rooms and venue hire
    • Exhibitions
  • Shop
    • Poetry Highlights
    • Entropie Books
    • Stichill Marigold Press
    • Poems for Doctors, Nurses & Teachers
    • Scottish Poetry
    • Poetry Pamphlet Cards
    • Help
  • About us
    • Our story
    • Our people
    • Company Papers & Policies
    • Our projects
    • Our building
    • FAQs
    • Find us
  • Support us
    • Become a Friend
    • Donate
  • Blog
Shopping BagShopping Bag
Ask a librarian
  • Home
  • >
  • Poetry
  • >
  • Adel Karasholi
  • >
  • Umarming der Meridiane
Donate Donate icon Ask a Librarian Ask a Librarian icon

Umarming der Meridiane

Adel Karasholi

Hin und her
Her und hin

Wo bin ich zu Haus

In zwei Sprachen bildet sich der Satz
In zwei Welten greifen die Hände
Im Traum spricht in Deutsch mit mir die Mutter
In Arabisch mein sächsisch Weib
Von Meridian zu Meridian
Leichtfüßig springen meine Träume
Weiten sich aus meines Baumes Zweige
Und jede Blüte trägt die Tätowierung
Alvertrauter Sonnenkarawanen
Die durchpulsen meines Baumes Adern

Ach
Meridiane ihr
Zweige von eichen und
Von Olivenbäumen
Umarmt euch fester
Und fester
In mir


Adel Karasholi

from Wenn Damaskus nicht ware: Gedichte (München: A1, 1999)

Reproduced by permission of the author and translator.

Tags:

German multilingualism translation Translations

Translations of this Poem

Embrace of the Meridians

Translator: Suhayl Saadi


Back and forth
Back and forth

Where am I at home?

In two languages, the sentence forms
From two worlds, the hands gather
In dream, my mother speaks with me in Deutsch
My Saxon wife, in Arabic
From meridian to meridian
With winged feet, my visions leap
And spring from the branches of my sapling
Each blossom bears the tattoo
Of sand-traced sun caravans
Which flow up through my tree’s limbs

O
Meridians you
Branches
Oak and olive
Embrace each other tightly
And more tightly yet
In me.

About this poem

M/Other Tongues, a poetry event which took place at the Scottish Poetry Library from 28 February to 2 March 2002, brought to Scotland two poets writing in German although it is not their mother tongue: Adel Karascholi from Syria, who has lived in Leipzig since the early ’60s, and Dragica Rajčić from Croatia, who has lived in Switzerland since the outbreak of war in the former Yugoslavia.

They were paired with two Scottish poets who have also lived between two languages and/or cultures: Suhayl Saadi of Pakistani/Afghani descent who lives in Glasgow, and Christopher Whyte, of Irish descent, who writes in Scottish Gaelic and lives in Edinburgh.

Share this
Facebook
Twitter
Email

Learn more

Adel Karasholib.1936

Adel Karasholi, born in Damascus of Kurdish descent, was forced to flee Syria in 1959 when the Arab Writers’ Association, of which he was the youngest member, was proscribed. He settled in Leipzig in 1961 where he completed his...
More about Adel Karasholi

Podcasts

Our audio programme of poets, poems and news for you to listen to.
Listen Now

Events

Discover our poetry events at the library & online.
Find forthcoming Events
  • Newsletter signup
  • Accessibility
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Scottish Poetry Library
5 Crichton's Close, Canongate
Edinburgh EH8 8DT
Tel: +44 (0)131 557 2876
© Scottish Poetry Library 2022.
The Scottish Poetry Library is a registered charity (No. SCO23311).
City of Edinburgh logo Green Arts Initiative logo Creative Scotland logo
Scottish Poetry Library