Carrie + Debbie & "An Epistle"

“An Epistle”

(Referencing to when Zaid taunted Bakr that Bakr’s mother was more famous than Bakr’s father.)

My Child,

You have to bear this arrow.

This world recognizes a child’s identity

By his father’s name,

But, after all, being known by your mother’s name,

One day you will have to pay a big price

Although the color of your eyes,

The shape of your forehead,

And all the angles of your lips,

Are exactly like that of the individual who is

My partner in your creation

Your recognition in the eyes of society!

But the one whose blood nourished you

For 3 seasons,

That solitary tree has her

Own weather:

With blood harvesting the sifting stars,

The thoughts that go into the creation of fragrance,

And the act of creating poetry,

Its reigns are no longer in the hands of your ancestors.

To call the fragrance back was impossible for Sappho,

Nor was Mira able to do it.

Now, around your peers, your now-and-then embarrassment,

In front of your acquaintances, your father’s forced humiliation

Is considered the fate of this family.

Whatever nameplate is placed on the front gate,

The reference will be the same:

Who you are

Or

Who you are not!

Parveen Shakir (24 November 1952 - 26 December 1994)

Translated from the Urdu by M.S. Alverston, 03/01/11.