‘Motherhood’ in a Pre-Modern Poem
As a fairly recent new mother (since Aug. 2016), I am still navigating the exhilarating ups and downs of life with a young child. So when the opening of this poem appeared in a recent translation project, I snatched it to share here:
Life is fleeting, so use it to honor your parents
First and foremost, your mother
The pressures of pregnancy and breastfeeding
Sustain the welfare of all human beings
Even kings must respect and heed them:
Earthly kings are merely sparkling rain
– The first three lines of a six-line poem by Abu ‘Ala’ al-Ma‘arri, 973-1057,
Translated by Melanie Magidow
Arabic source
Mother-child image source
