Saturday, September 18, 2004

 

Disappointment


I thought we were alike;
unfortunately, he is not!

- A translation of إحباط

 

An article to please all readers





The end

 

Fear...


I was so afraid of him that...
I killed him!

- A translation of خوف

 

But


Tomorrow I will..., ..., ..., then, ..., ..., and ...., with all my ... because I ... seriously... and that's what I want as ..., ..., and... to ..., but today...

- A translation of لَكِن

 

Late Acknowledgement


I want to acknowledge that I was inspired to write Arabic "one-liners" --which is a literal genre different from proverbs and wisdoms as you can see and will see-- by the work of an American Blogger who probably won't be able to understand them.

p.s. That's one reason why I'm translating them into English (which is my obviously not my first language)!

- A translation of إحقاقاً للحق


 

Son of a Joke!


One of the wonders of the Egyptian Arabic language is that when someone is known by a virture or sin, they call him its father "Abu," e.g., father of generosity, of understanding, of ignorance; however, a funny man who knows how to joke is called a 'Son of a joke' (Ibn nokta)!

- A translation of ابن نُكتة

 

In a hurry


It's no longer for my reader's sake; I'm also in a hurry so I now prefer to write the "one-liners": the only writings that can be read at any time, although I wonder whether it makes any sense!

- A slightly altered translation of مستعجل


 

Anthony de Mello


Anthony de Mello, an Indian Jesuit priest and one of the pioneers of brevity, has reconciled in his short stories between the oriental spiritual heritage and the Western Jesuit tradition; to comment on his stories, he used short one-liners that had incredible penetrating effects on the readers, and that gave the stories completely new meaning.

- A translation of أنتوني دى ميللو

 

Gibran Khalil Gibran


How can I write effective brief sentences without learning this art from Gibran Khalil Gibran, the Lebanese writer and philospher who knew how to write sentences that gather magic, depth, mystery and clarity?

- A translation of جبران خليل جبران

 

"Blessed are the foolish; they shall be happy!" Naguib Mahfouz


Which single long sentence can describe the main thought with which I'm obsessed these days, i.e., that the world is perishing because of foolishness of many, while those whom I consider wise are getting ready to drink from the River of Foolishness* to be able to survive; isn't adaptation -not struggle- the only way to survive according to the evolved Evloution Theory?

* Refering to a short story by Gibran K.Gibran
p.s. This sentence was difficult to translate since Arabic punctuation can make such long sentences more readable.

- A translation of طوبى للحمقى فإنّهم سعداء- نجيب محفوظ

 

Complete Sentence??


A complete sentence can be long sometims; otherwise, how can I express all what I want in one line, no more?

- A translation of جملة مفيدة

 

Be Brief!


To be understood, explain; to be listened to, be brief!

- A translation of باختصار

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?



1::