"In Memoriam"
His name was
Moammed Sceab
descendant
of nomadic emires
he took his life
because he had no
Fatherland
He loved France
and changed his name
he was Marcel
but he was not French
and did no longer know how
to live in the tent of his people
where one listens to the sing-song
of the Koran
whilst relishing coffee
and he did not know how to
melt
the song of his leaving
I accompanied him
together with the lady owner of the hotel
where we lived in Paris
at number 5 rue des Carmes
a withered down-sloaping alley
He rests
in the churchyard of Ivry
a suburb which always seems to be
in a day
of a
decomposed wildelife
and maybe only I
still know
that he lived
"In Memoria."
Si chiamava
Moammed Sceab
Discendente
di emiri nomadi
suicida
perchè non aveva più
Patria
Amò la Francia
e mutò nome
Fu Marcel
ma non era Francese
e non sapeva più
vivere
nella tenda dei suoi
dove si ascoltava la cantilena
del Corano
gustando un caffè
E non sapeva
sciogliere
il canto
del suo abbandono
L'ho accompagnato
insiema alla padrona dell'albergo
dove abitavamo
a Parigi
dal numero 5 della rue des Carmes
appasito vicolo in discesa
Riposa
nel camposanto d'Ivry
sobborgo che pare
sempre in una giornata
di una
decomposta fiera
E forse io solo
so ancora
che visse
Poems translated in English by Fiamma Ferraro, available for medical and literary translations.
She can be contacted at fiafer@yahoo.com
