– Faraj Bou al-Isha (b. 1956), “Wait”
translated from the Arabic by Khaled Mattawa
in: “Poems for the Millennium. Book of North African Literature”, edited by Pierre Joris and Habib Tengour
“do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. do justly now. love mercy now. walk humbly now. you are not obligated to complete the work but neither are you free to abandon it.”