The Old House Poem by Sayed Gouda

There used to be some broken steps
in the house long ago.
i played on them when i was small.
How often i slid on the banister in innocent play!
There used to be cracks on the wall
like an old woman's face
laughing with her naughty grandchildren.

There used to be hearts, arrows,
lovers' initials amorously embracing each other
like wings of seagulls crossing the sea of longing.
Here, the people of love used to live,
and i…
used to live here.

i used to spend the evenings with my friends,
loitering at the house gate,
courting girls with sweet words
when they passed us by,
illuminating the alleys of our district.

i used to spend the night awake.
Angels of light were filling
the cups of Heaven with longing-
longing as infinite as Heaven.
i was hearing in my solitude
lovers' prayers in their yearning:
‘The Night Falls'…
‘O Cup Companions'…
‘For the Sake of Your Eyes'…1
For her,
sweet is my life in longing
and sweet is passing-away for her!
We are the people of love,
fused in longing.
The butterfly melts in her love,
love is ablaze from her death!

My house entrance used to be here,
and here used to be an old doorknob,
darkened from the tenants' sweat,
from the warmth of their dreams.
And the cracks on the walls
were like an old woman's face,
laughing with her grandchildren,
and here used to be our broken steps.

Where is our house, dad?
said my small child,
the key of my old house
dangling on his chest!

16 November 2006

1 These are three songs by legendary Egyptian singer Um
Kulthum.