Reading A Poem In Translation, Wrote Bialek, "is Like Kissing A Woman Through A Veil; And Reading Greek

“Reading a poem in translation,“ wrote Bialek, "is like kissing a woman through a veil”; and reading Greek poems, with a mixture of katharevousa and the demotic, is like kissing two women. Translation is a kind of transubstantiation; one poem becomes another. You choose your philosophy of translation just as you choose how to live: the free adaptation that sacrifices detail to meaning, the strict crib that sacrifices meaning to exactitude. The poet moves from life to language, the translator moves from language to life; both like the immigrant, try to identify the invisible, what’s between the lines, the mysterious implications.

– Anne Michaels, Fugitive Pieces

“Remember– basil and apple tree, mulberry syrup and almond groves. Each girl was a swallow then whose eyes moved like a gondola swung from a hazel branch.”

—  Nadia Tuéni, excerpt of ‘In the Lebanese Mountains’. Translated by Samuel Hazo. (via pairedaeza)

“از پشت پنجره ی بخار گرفته رقص مستانه ی تو را دید می زنم باران بازیچهء سر انگشتانت می چرخد به اشاره تو Standing behind hazy windows I watch you …euphorically dancing The rain, enamored by you, Dances to your tune.”

— Ismail Hashemi  (via pomegranatetree)

What are your relationship non negotiables? I love your blog!

Good hygiene, not just basic, but good. The amount of men that go around the world with the most repulsive habits and lack of self-care towards their bodies and the environments they live in has been shocking for me to find out. I will not cohabitate with someone with repulsive behaviors of any kind. If you don't take your hygiene seriously, it lets me know that you have very little regard for your body combined with low self-awareness, and if you don't care about properly maintaining your living space accordingly, it tells me you care very little about the ones you have to share them with. I will leave at recurrent unhygienic signs.

Lack of ambition and motivation. And when I speak of ambition, I am not referring to it in the biblical sinful way of going only after money and material things, regardless of what you do in the process of getting there. But rather, I mean having a bigger vision for your life, the things you want to accomplish, and having the drive, dedication, and discipline to go after them. A man that is driven and actively working towards creating a better future for his family and himself is extremely attractive.

Generosity and wealth. Although I'm very vocal on and actively advocate for other women to strive to be independent and go-getters, I also understand that for relationships to work, there are roles and assignments each partner has to fulfill. As such, my man has to have a provider mindset and must be willing to give me the world. I don't care how much money and wealth I end up gaining in life, if I'm having a romantic relationship with a man, I'm not paying a single dime while in his presence. For this, he must be successful (and actively working towards his goals as touched upon in the previous point), but also not be stingy in any kind of way. How he treats you in relation to his money will speak volumes about his character and how he views you.

Positive mindset. The people around you affect how you view the world more than you think. A negative person can bring misery into your life if you allow yourself to internalize their ways. Your partner should be someone that has a bright outlook on life and is looking forward to building nothing but positive memories and moments with you. If they are doing the opposite, you must cut them off (this also applies to friends and family members).

Values. I will not compromise on my core values, my religious/spiritual believes, or certain strong political views for another person with different or opposite ideas. As a Christian I'm called to entertain men I'm equally yoked with, but this goes beyond believing in the same Higher Power, it includes sharing similar values about key aspects of life so that you two may align in the things you want to achieve and the lifestyle you want to live.

Fitness. This is crucial, similarly to the first point; a person who doesn't care for his physical appearance and fitness shows very little self-awareness, likely low self-esteem, and ultimately doesn't care about keeping you attracted to them, therefore, holding you in a lower regard. Putting effort into your fitness showcases values of discipline, delayed gratification, and high self-esteem, and as someone who tries to embody those things in her own personal life, I would not want a partner that does not see the value in these things as well.

Bethlehem 1946.

A student sitting under a cherry tree sketching the blossom as a woman in a kimono looks on, Japan, 1950s