ثلاث قصائد

Salaiman Juhni is known for his surrealism. Many of his poems present worlds defined as much by a Kafkaesque absurdity as they are by Iraqi history. Both of these qualities present a challenge for the translator. Absurdity, whether in translation or in the original language, unabashedly confronts the reader with a choice: either disregard the work as nonsense or be willing to approach the work openly in order to see it within its own context. Despite the “Western” world’s military involvement in Iraq, the history and culture of the country remain elusive to many Americans and Europeans. It has been our goal to present an English-speaking audience with these poems in a way that makes them approachable, while still retaining the essential elements of absurdity, alienation, and mystery that define them.

These three poems present many of the themes that are found in Salaiman Juhni’s large body of work. There is a wrestling with history, both personal and national, the remnants of years spent living under the oppressive regime of Saddam Hussein, memories of war, and the dialogue between philosophy and our lives.