“Crossing the Desert”– Charles Théodore Frère
Introduction
The poet leans, takes pride, and proceeds, moving forward from the pre-Islamic era, which represented – through language and poems – a civilization rooted in the poet’s experience, to a civilization filled with ignorance against man and identity, as the poet tries to reveal. Therefore, he charts maps through this collection. For example:
“I am the child of horses who was nursed a sound
And the free noise is still my promise.”
Until he reveals himself publicly throughout a journey in which he was the witness and the scene:
“Should I repeat the sound of horses, or
Do the Native Americans feel threatened by the more dangerous metaphor?!”
The poet makes an unbridled and bold attempt to recall a memory that we see through names and places that evoke an identity and a spirit, which simultaneously strike fear and aspire.
On the Thresholds
From the title of the collection, the poet raises the banner of words/language/speech in the face of the world, for he is the new pre-Islamic poet, and this is his speech/words. The poet is a new pre-Islamic child, the child of horses, as he calls himself at the beginning of the collection’s journey, who only has what he does not say. Here, we see a phenomenal paradox that the poet expresses in more than one part of the collection. You realise as you read the collection that what the poet has is what he did not say. Regardless of the reasons, the poet tries to retain this property that gives his existence meaning, as he says:
“I did not expose you, my heart, but
For your sake, I did not reach my best.”
He wants to talk, but he abstains. He trusts only the poem, therefore, he says:
“I am the opinion, however the poem is difficult
They called me a blaspheme deceiver.”
The poem always finds itself a way of expressing what it means. Therefore, there is no fear that the meaning it contains, which runs through it and alongside it, will be lost. Even if the interpretation of the poet’s purpose does not believe this idea, he says:
“In eloquent tongues of fire, he said to me:
It is my intentions that will expose me, not my poems.”
Language is a life, words are a life, but this life is not free from some risk, as he says:
“Even my words, my people have been taken away from me, then what should I confess with?!”
Also, he says:
“The possibilities of speech in the boy’s mind, a language that is revealed but undiscovered.”
This feeling is reinforced by the importance of the words and not being afraid to express them, because in expressing them you achieve the meaning of your belonging and identity. All of this is reinforced by those quotes at the beginning of the collection, including, for example:
“But it is a soul that is free as you wish.” Other verses with the same meaning exist.
This young new pre-Islamic poet/child of horses wants to leave here – through the poems that he trusts more than himself – a meaning that guides him and restores his spirit that was about to be lost in the hustle.
Firstly: In terms of meaning
If we try to read the collection’s index, we will find that this new pre-Islamic poet divides the collection into three sections, representing his motives and pre-Islamic obsession, which are as follows:
First: Initiation Outside the Ruins (Esthlal Kharij Altlal)
An initiation not on the ruins or in front of them, but outside of them, a restoration of what came before the ruins and a celebration of them. It contains 50 pages of the collection and is the largest section of it. It focuses and revolves around “Pride”. In this introductory section, the poet is trying to define himself and build his character, which was almost shattered in endless mirrors. Where he says:
“To the infinity of mirrors
To what was before me and after me.”
He emphasises:
“In loneliness, there is a mirror that augments me,
And I only abound in loneliness.”
Therefore, “pride” is what the first section of the collection attempts to highlight. All the texts of this section refer to it in one way or another and from different points of view. With simple observation, you will find the ego (the I) dominant in many parts of the collection, as he says:
“I am not the one who exchanged the star for a home”, “I am the one who nurtured the days…”, “Am I nothing but the ghoul and the phoenix?…”, “I am not one of Yahya bin Khaled’s sons…”, “I am all who they were and who have become”, “I attracted my impossible ego…”, “Her abandonment is the cause of my suffering, for long now…”, “I am the son of the deserts of absence…”, “So this is me, the face of the stranger…”, “I am the torrent that reached the hole…”, “I do not write down what I see…”, “I think about the poem whenever…”, “I am the one who said: not the time…”, “I am the curse in the middle”, “I am two banks of a river that parted…”, and “I am the truce, and I have a bullet…”.
The frequency of the self in this section is not limited to the direct disclosure of the ego, but to the announcement of the name, the name of the poet, or the recall of the grandfather or a tribe in more than one place, to entrench a root in the rigidity that he will later satirise, where he says:
“If I do not peel off the skin of the earth on foot,
I am not Abdul Latif bin Youssef.”
And says:
“My father, my grandfather, my lineage and something,
mythical toughen up my father and grandfather.”
Further:
“But thanks to Allah, I am a nobleman,
and Tamim knows that I am the sword of Khandaf.”
Also, he says:
“Like all who belongs to Tamim, whom talents prevail,
And in a thousand years, his talents will not be forgotten.”
In addition, he added:
“From the end, my grandfather said: Take my hand,
stab and chop my ribs with it.”
He continues:
“I declare here that the ancient fire shall not subside,
Or I will burn like a sword, like Al-Qaqaa,
Take the book firmly, may Allah not bless
The boy if he was not courageous.”
These are all within the ancient fire commandments/grandfather’s commandments. Then, we find another approach, in which the poet tries to assert himself through the celebration of his uniqueness, freedom, and belief in words/poetry, as he says:
“He disseminated until he flowed in every situation”, “And his chamberlain prevents us from thanking his endeavours”, “Poetry dies when we hold it accountable”, “Who accepts to be neglected lives in neglection”, and many others with the same meaning.
Secondly: An indication of the tribe’s night (Eistidlal Ala Layl Aljadila)
In this little over 20-page section of the collection, the reader senses the greatest possible contradiction between what is said and what is implied. This section could be said to be focused on the topic of “ode” – ghazal. It builds on the topic of pride, which precedes it, and is followed by the topic of satire. However, the reader can’t be certain of this even though some of the vocabulary implies otherwise.
I believe that this section contains a mixed concept between the poem and Layla, “the absolute beloved”. We notice the predominance of the name Layla in this section. Since the collection is based on the idea of language/poetry, we will find here a confusion between Layla and the poem. This is perhaps what explains the poet placing himself under Layla’s disposal, and then taking pride in himself between obedience and disobedience. This is the act of poetry, and perhaps the act of love as well. He says:
“Take me so the conflict between us can be resolved.
When ugly and beautiful meet,
Take me to walk on the water of my truth.
Light, but the metaphor is heavy,
And say, “I hope Abdul Latif will pass me by
So that palm trees grow under his steps.”
Here you do not know who will prevail, nor who will add to the other!
In many parts, the poet deliberately creates some confusion between his Layla, for whom he is not the crazy Qays and between meaning, text, and interpretation, he says:
“Oh, my old desire.
Oh, daughter of a meaning that withdrew from me
And marvellous came back to me.”
The poet takes upon himself the responsibility of meaning, text, and interpretation of this scarce poetry through which he lives and bets on, saying:
“There was nothing left of the few poetry
Except for the saying that poetry towards you is insignificant.”
Third: Elaboration on faces and masks (Estirsal Alwujuh W Al’aqniea)
This section is an extreme “satire” of all this elaboration, of all that is so-called multiple, and perhaps discordant, civilizations and ideas, but they have failed in their civilizational promises. The poet presents texts through separate yet connected scenes: “New Yorker – Last Male – Fragmentation Human – Babu – plagues”, (نيويوركر – الذكوري الأخير – إنسانُ التشظّي – بابو – طواعين). All these texts are evidence of disastrous mistakes and lost bets on this fabricated civilization.
It is obvious that this satire begins from the first section, Initiation Outside the Ruins, whereas pride is more convincing than the substitutions of this narrative brought by this new pre-Islamic poet. We will notice how the satire in the first section was sometimes a contrast between what he satirises and what he is proud of in one line, clearly or implicitly, he says, for example:
“Modern illusions and illusions of modernity,
And Najd is the heart and soul of nostalgia.”
He satirises modernity and its illusions while devoting and taking pride in the image of the place (Najd) as the place of the new pre-Islamic era. He says in another part:
“The war is civil, and the revolution discovered that it carried the opponent in its genes
Thank you for all the insults that wounded different meanings, until the response could be mastered
All worlds cannot seduce him, for he sees that people are into their deep delusion.”
After this narration, he talks about the situation that things have come to, to boast and brag about himself, saying:
“This is him now proud of what his right hand has earned, and he has the right if he bragged”.
The satire here is an argument for a well-deserved pride that the new pre-Islamic poet takes pride in and expresses.
In the third section, the satire is directed towards satire itself: man’s bias against his illusory civilizations, as perceived by the new pre-Islamic poet. Here, he does not exclude anyone in separate yet connected texts, or through characters that he invents or relates to. The poet’s thoughts become clear through these texts and characters. This new pre-Islamic poet is achieved through words and poetry, just as the old pre-Islamic poet was achieved through poetry.
He says:
“The states that united in me,
Its civilization has become old, and they continue to deny it.”
In his satire of non-identity, he says:
“By the identity of the numbers, the city swallows me up,
And my Arabic name might vanish.”
He draws inspiration from the character of the clown the falsity that paints these civilizations, saying:
“The colour of deception is apparent in the makeup.”
This life is merely a circus in which all the games and tricks are played, as he says:
“In the circus, life is shortened, perhaps
The whole life is there under the dome.”
He also says:
“A fever that fuels all causes of pessimism
Regarding modernity, I will not say be optimistic.”
He continues in this satire:
“The market economy indicated…”, “I am not a socialist, but…”, “Oh, the sad face of Europe inside me…”. However, the poet always leaves the door partly open for hope, as he says:
“Now, a sea is only apparent, so
Is there a coast beyond it?”
Secondly: In terms of the structure
This new pre-Islamic character uses his “dictionary” to speak in a new era that has its “dictionary”, and between the two dictionaries is a poetic and historical legacy that can only be referred to, summarized, and expressed with vocabulary that expresses and reveals it. Therefore, the poet’s vocabulary begins through this pre-Islamic speech, which attempts to “judge” the existing civilization along with its vocabulary that formed itself according to the following set of vocabulary:
The first set:
Definite pre-Islamic vocabulary suits the character that the poet proposes to address his topic. We will trace many pre-Islamic vocabulary, including:
“Hostile wanderers passed by the destination,
lightly and gave me the spearhead of Al Muthaqaf sword.”
He also says:
“I saw in my dream Imru’ al-Qais without
A horse, thrown under a torrent of rocks.”
And:
“But thanks to Allah, I am a nobleman,
and Tamim knows that I am the sword of Khandaf.”
And other vocabularies in different parts.
The second set:
If this vocabulary is borrowed/derived from a pre-Islamic language, so to speak, then where is the poet’s language? The language of this new pre-Islamic character distinguishes him by being, at least, new. Here we will find that the poet invents his new effective language, including:
“I rise a disaster within me and survive.
Exalted is He who took His Servant.”
Also:
“My death is the beginning, for birth is not ours
With your hooves, ignite the sparks in my being.”
And says:
“Those who desire death, leaned towards it,
And I am the curse in the middle,
A halt, has its wisdom,
Only the powerless who does not halt.”
Further, he says:
“Even my words, my people have taken away from me,
Then, what should I confess with?!”
Also added:
“Smile to the night, for there is a need
For light in this intense darkness.”
And he says:
“Had it not been for the differences in it, had it not been that
He lit up the woods within his ribs.”
And many other examples of his language.
The third set:
The poet used some existing structures that create inter-textuality with Classical Arabic texts. Perhaps he does this to emphasise belonging to the classical texts, which are based on language, the main theme in the collection. Examples of this are evident, including:
“I am the man-child you know
as joyful, daughter of the neighbourhood, and my heart is my leader.”
And says:
“Oh soul, have I not been dying for a long time? So am I
Nothing but the ghoul, the phoenix, and the loyal friend?”
And:
“Her abandonment is the cause of my suffering, for long now
And I am yet to find my time to shine.”
Further he says:
“I am the torrent that reached the hole
But I could not find my way back.”
Also:
“I am not concerned if I got stabbed and did not die
For your love is a wound without a scar.”
The fourth set:
In a few parts, the sentences’ structure tends towards prose. As the poet says:
“We are facing a challenge
From which there is no escape,
Nor refuge
Except what demolished.”
He also says:
“We are losing Islam between two camps,
Both are religiously Islamic.”
Further, he says:
“Alone here, even if eagerly and passionately
All the girls, approached me.”
In conclusion
Throughout this collection, the reader observers how loyal the poet is to his vision and ideas from the cover to the last line of the collection. This vision is regarded as a humane one that is perceptive and contemplates the far future. The poet’s bet on words, language, and identity was definite and rich. What undoubtedly draws attention, and perhaps what distinguishes the experience of the poet Abdul Latif bin Youssef, is his viewpoint of things and of the world. Abdel Latif has a special interpretation of the world, he astonishes us through his poetic space that craft a collection after another, creating experience after experience, so that we can feel what he feels and see what he sees.
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