Jordan

25 May, and it’s Independence Day for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. I’ve just learned about the Hashemite part of that equation—from the Arabic, it means those who belong to the “clan of Hashim,” which is part of the larger Quraish tribe, a dominant tribe of Mecca from the beginning of Islam. It also refers to the Hashemite family, who the royals belong to. Feel educated? Independence dates from 1946, with the end of the British League of Nations. But, of course, Jordan is an ancient country. I want to go to Petra before I die…

Following an influx of Palestinian refugees from the 1967 war against Israel (in which Jordan was a participant) a conflict leading to the expulsion of PLO groups from Jordan occurred in 1970, commonly known as Black September—though there are many who know the same event as White September.

Following the 1994 Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty, Jordan has made an effort to maintain peaceful relations with other countries in the region. Though it has made these efforts, the situation within the country has been of concern to human rights groups. As well as the death penalty, it is reported that torture is used within the country, and there is restricted free of the press—journalists have often been imprisoned. Still, it is considered the third-best nation in terms of freedom of expression within the Middle Eastern region.

Every time I look at pictures of places in Jordan I want to pack my bags and set out straight away. I also want to learn Arabic.

Today’s poem is by Amjad Nasser, and comes once more from the anthology A Crack in the Wall: New Arab Poetry.



Wildernesses

How will I write my poem
when I have nothing
but the wreckage of description?
How will I prepare
my florid blurry praise
for the princess’s face
in its white quietude?
How will I pursue
the gazelle’s trail
shot through with golden shards?

I went down to the river
and found nothing but pebbles
and the commandments of drought.
I went to the lovers;
and found only the ink of letters
the autumn of cloves.
I went to the wildernesses
and found only the wolf’s solitude,
loneliness of the serpent.
I went to wisdom
and found nothing but
the leftovers of a sermon.

I went
to poetry
and found nothing
but the wreckage
of description.


—Amjad Nasser
from A Crack in the Wall: New Arab Poetry (2001)
translated from the Arabic by Sargon Boulus