The Bird's Last Flight Poem by Saadi Youssef

When I enter the earth's nest
Contented
And glad,
My wings resting,
I will free my eyelids so not to see
The trees swaying nearer.
Do not cry over me.
I said do not cry.

If you wish, remember that my wings
Are water
And there is no water without waves
And no waves without a shore where they crash.
I rest here
Contented
And glad
To have reached the last shore.
Do not cry.
Even the sound of my breathing cannot reach me...

Translated by Khaled Mattawa