DUAL Poetry Podcast

Listen to the 'The Lost Button' by Fatena Al-Gharra, Translated from the Arabic by Anna Murison and Sarah Maguire.

The poem is read first in English by the poet-translator Sarah Maguire and then in Arabi by the poet Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi.

If you would like to support the Poetry Translation Centre please visit poetrytranslation.org/support-us.

Bejan Matur is an award-winning Kurdish-Alevi poet from Turkey writing in Turkish and Kurdish. Her poetry has been translated into
more than twenty languages. She currently lives in London.

Her poems were translated by Jen Hadfield and Canan Marasligil.

If you would like to support the Poetry Translation Centre please visit poetrytranslation.org/support-us.

Last week we received the sad news that the PTC's founder and Artistic Director, Sarah Maguire, had died. Over the years she produced many wonderful translations for the PTC.

This week to celebrate her work we are releasing this extended podcast featuring 11 poems by Partaw Naderi from Afghanistan, that Sarah translated with her good friend and Yama Yari. 

Each poem is read first in English translation by Sarah and then in Dari by Partaw himself.

A fuller reflection of Sarah's life and work will follow soon. If you have memories you would like to share with us please write to [email protected].

‘The Mark’ by Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf is addressed directly to the men ruling of Somalia / Somaliland, urging them to find peace, to bring clans together and to raise the country up.

As with many of her poems, it begins with an intro about how Asha Lul hasn't recited for a while but now she must speak.

The main body of the poem lays out her arguments.

Finally, it ends with a summary asking God to bring about a better world that leaves the reader with a hopeful tone.

First, you will hear Clare Pollard’s English Translation and then Asha Lul reading the original Somali

This month sees the publication of her first English Language collection published by Bloodaxe Books.

The collection's title The Sea-Migrations or, Tahriib in Somali, refers to the search for a better life in another country.

You can buy The Sea-Migrations here.

If you would like to support the Poetry Translation Centre please visit poetrytranslation.org/support-us.

Beloved by Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf is a passionate love poem!
It is a jiifto, one of the many Metric forms of Somali poetry made up of short lines.

First, you will hear the stunning translation by UK poet Clare Pollard who captures the alliterating Bs of the original Somali and the sense of yearning with lines like 'be my new moon / unbreakable metal'.

Afterwards, you can hear Asha reading the poem in the original Somali.

This month sees the publication of her first English Language collection published by Bloodaxe Books.

The collection's title The Sea-Migrations or, Tahriib in Somali, refers to the search for a better life in another country.

You can buy The Sea-Migrations here.

If you would like to support the Poetry Translation Centre please visit poetrytranslation.org/support-us.

This week’s poem is 'With a Red Flower' by Azita Ghahreman from Iran. The poem is read first in English translation by Maura Dooley and then in Farsi by Azita. 

Next year we will be publishing a collection of Azita's poetry with Bloodaxe Books.

If you would like to support the Poetry Translation Centre please visit poetrytranslation.org/support-us.

This week’s poem is 'Orphan' by Asha Lul Mohamad Yusuf from Somalia/Somaliland. The poem is read first in English translation by Clare Pollard and then in Somali by Asha.

Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf is a powerful woman poet in a literary tradition still largely dominated by men. She is a master of the major Somali poetic forms, including the prestigious gabay which presents compelling arguments with mesmerising feats of alliteration. 

This week sees the publication of her first English Language collection published by Bloodaxe Books.

The collection's title The Sea-Migrations or, Tahriib in Somali, refers to the search for a better life in another country.

You can buy The Sea-Migrations here.

If you would like to support the Poetry Translation Centre please visit poetrytranslation.org/support-us.

Bejan Matur is the most illustrious poet among a bold new women’s poetry emerging from the Middle East. Her poetry engages directly and concretely with the struggles of her people, and yet there is also a mysticism in her writing, a closeness to nature, an embracing of mythology – a dialogue with God.

This poem and many others that appear in her PTC chapbook 'If This is a Lamnet' were translated by TS Elliot Award-winning poet Jen Hadfield and bridge translator Canan Marasligil.

If you enjoy this poem and would like to support the Poetry Translation Centre please visit our JustGiving Page.

This week's poem is by David Huerta from Mexico.  The poem is read first in English translation by Jamie McKendrick and then in Spanish by David himself. If you enjoy this recording and would like to find out more about David Huerta and all the other poets we’ve translated, please visit our website www.poetrytranslation.org.

If you would like to support the Poetry Translation Centre please visit poetrytranslation.org/support-us.