Thursday, October 06, 2011

Thanks to the Pakistani Poet Kishwar Naheed (Translated by Rukhsana Ahmad)



We Sinful Women by Kishwar Naheed

It is we sinful women

who are not awed by the grandeur of those who wear gowns
who don’t sell our lives
who don’t bow our heads
who don’t fold our hands together.



It is we sinful women
while those who sell the harvests of our bodies
become exalted
become distinguished
become the just princes of the material world.



It is we sinful women
who come out raising the banner of truth
up against barricades of lies on the highways
who find stories of persecution piled on each threshold
who find that tongues which could speak have been severed.



It is we sinful women.
Now, even if the night gives chase
these eyes shall not be put out.


For the wall which has been razed
don’t insist now on raising it again.

It is we sinful women
who are not awed by the grandeur of those who wear gowns

who don’t sell our bodies
who don’t bow our heads
who don’t fold our hands together.

2 comments:

Rukhsana said...

This translation has been posted without my permission. I would grant that if you will name me as the translator in the following credit:

Translated by Rukhsana Ahmad

Rukhsana said...

Many thanks for adding the credit!

Podcast Conversations with contributors to Borderlands of Theological Education

 Just thrilled that our podcast conversations with contributors to Borderlands of Theological Education are available here: https://podcast...