"To Make Use of Water" by Safia Elhillo

My name is Safia Elhillo,

Translator: Yi Ki Hung Reviewer: Thomas Tam

我叫 Safia Elhillo

and this poem is called "to make use of water."

而呢首詩叫做「水嘅用處」

dilute

沖淡

i forget the arabic word for economy

我唔記得「經濟」嘅阿拉伯文喺咩

i forget the english word for عسل

英文嘅「عسل」係咩

forget the arabic word for incense

亦忘記「香」 嘅阿拉伯文喺咩

& english word for مسكين

同埋「مسكين」嘅英文喺咩

arabic word for sandwich

「三文治」嘅阿拉伯文喺咩

english for صيدلية & مطعم & وله ‎

英文嘅 「صيدلية & مطعم & وله」喺咩

/stupid girl, atlantic got your tongue/

/傻女，大西洋令你條脷打晒撠/

blur

模糊咗

back home we are plagued by a politeness so dense

喺家鄉，飽受 禮貌週週所困擾

even the doctors cannot call things what they are

就連醫生都無法 講出個病係咩名

my grandfather’s left eye

祖父嘅左眼

swirled thick with smoke

繚繞住煙霧

what my new mouth can call glaucoma

我新嘅嘴巴 就話係「青光眼」

while the arabic still translates to

但阿拉伯文仍然翻譯佢

the white water

嗰啲「白水」

swim

游水

i want to go home

我想返鄉下

dissolve

溶解

i want to go home

我想返鄉下

drown

會浸死

half don’t even make it out or across

甚至一半人 無法成功或者穿過

you get to be ungrateful

你變得忘恩負義

you get to be homesick

變得思鄉

from safe inside your blue american passport

拎住保護你嘅藍色美國護照

do you even understand what was lost to bring you here

你知唔知失去咗啲咩嘢？