Sylvia's Journal

Today we had our International Women’s Day celebration. S and I read the poem, she in English and I in Dari – we were equally nervous about reading in each others’ tongue.

There were long speeches and poems by the leaders of our projects which I could barely follow. They were full of references to passages in the Koran and Afghan culture that I did not understand. I can follow meetings about health much better in the local language than these speeches about women.

There were also Pashto poems I did not understand but they sounded nice and poetic, a out mothers and tears and what not.

M. did an excellent job on her presentation about her stay in Egypt. I was very proud. I hope others were too. When I left the celebration she had received three congratulations. I am counting because this is not a culture in which praise is easily dispensed, so three is a victory already.

At the end of the celebration all the women received a gift. After the gifts were handed out we had to sign a paper that we had indeed received them. Those are the rules here – everything needs to be signed for because there has to be proof, just in case.

Here is the poem:

She sits there often
In the rain
On a small piece of cardboard
Hands outstretched
In the mud
In the middle of the street
Cars, bicycles and people rushing by

عموماً در زیر باران
در سر پارچه کوچک کارتن
دستهایش را دراز میکند
در سر گل
در وسط سرک
موترها و بایسکلها و مردم
تیر می شوند
او در کندهار مکتب را شروع می کند
بعداً وقتیکه دیپلوم در دیوال نصب شد
حالا او تا ناوقت شب درس می خواند
بعد از ختم شدن تمام کارهای دیگر

She will start a school in Kandahar
Later, when the diploma
is hanging on the wall
Now she studies
Late at night
After all the other work is done
She entered the room
Eyes red from crying
Why? What happened?
We asked as we embraced her
Back in our midst
I am not allowed to be here anymore

او داخل اطاق شد
چشمهایش از گریه سرخ است
چرا؟ چی گپ شده؟
ما از او پرسیدیم
وقتیکه او را در اغوش گرفتیم
دوباره او را با خود داریم
اجازه ندارم که دیگر اینجا باشم
او سرحدها را تا اندازاهای شکستانده
در اول مشکل بود اما حالا آسانتر است
او در جهان قدم می گذارد
او برای دیگران الهام بخش است
همراه فامیلش که در کنارش است

She pushed the boundaries
An inch at the time
Rigid at first, more supple now
Stepping out into the world
She will become a beacon
With her family by her side
Choices are made that aren’t hers
We don’t do that here they say
And she sits there
With a heavy heart
Will she be one more lost
to her sisters she could have helped?

چیزهای برای او انتخاب شده
که دلخواه او نیست
ما ان کارها را انجام نمیدهیم
و او با دل پرازغم انجا میشیند
و او یک باردیگر باخت
که خواهران خود را کمک کند
انها پیش من دویدن
دستهای خود را دراز کردن
با چشمهای روشن
آموختن لذتها به من
دختران و پسران کوچک در کنار هم ایستاده شد
ایا چیزی را که ما نمیتوانیم
انها می توانند؟

They run to me
Outstretched hands, eyes sparkling
Teaching me about joy
And standing side by side
Little boys and girls together
Will they do what we could not?