June 23, 2021
In today’s earlier post about finishing translating the poetry book Flowers of a Dream, I thought the quote I’d originally added probably wasn’t by May, but I didn’t know for sure so I posted it anyway 😐: “Books are the only place two strangers can meet in private.”
I had written a recent post on the blog in which I mentioned ‘Counterfeit Rumis’ or translations that some scholars felt weren’t true to the poet or maybe not written by him at all. While I may not be into exactness or perfectionism in some things, I do not slack off with accuracy in some necessary things, if I can do better.
I decided to research this quote as I saw shared as by May Ziadeh (without the h) and found the words above in a similar quote by Paul Auster, “Every novel is an equal collaboration between the writer and the reader and it is the only place in the world where two strangers can meet on terms of absolute intimacy.”
I am sorry, May and readers! and I’ve updated the previous post as I hadn’t found citations and don’t want to misquote someone if I can help it. But of course only she knows for sure.
So I will share another one by May:
إذا كان الثناء لا يروقني فلماذا أشعر منذ أن حادثتني بأن شيئاً يبتسم فيّ بسرور ورضا؟!
“If I really hated flattery, why ever since you spoke to me do I feel something inside me smiling with happy content!”
I walked and walked this afternoon and I saw many flowers; this one had the most beautiful scent that stunned me as I thought it may not have a scent at all…
Moonrise: in about an hour, almost full, sagittarius
Today’s earlier post: Tapping The Book Closed But The Words Go On
Blush of Dawn 