Hassan Al-Salhabi: Saudi poetry now stands tall on its ownhttps://en.majalla.com/node/297091/culture-social-affairs/hassan-al-salhabi-saudi-poetry-now-stands-tall-its-own
Hassan Al-Salhabi: Saudi poetry now stands tall on its own
Al-Salhabi considers poetry a "close companion" and likens it to the stars that illuminate the night sky
Al Majalla
The award-winning Saudi poet Hassan Al-Salhabi says the renaissance of his country's poetry scene is a continuation of the Arab poetic renaissance of Mahmoud Darwish, Nizar Qabbani, and other great Arab poets.
Hassan Al-Salhabi: Saudi poetry now stands tall on its own
Saudi poet and translator Hassan Al-Salhabi doesn't limit himself to literary creativity. He sees cultural advancement as his responsibility, too.
As president of the Jazan Literary Club since 2014, he has led numerous initiatives that have enriched the Saudi cultural scene over the past decade.
"I try to support creativity in its various forms: poetry, prose, critical studies, translation, theatre, visual arts, photography and other creative outlets related to culture, literature and the arts,” said Al-Salhabi, of his work at Jazan.
One of the club's initiatives was designed to champion short stories; the program, "Narrative Sips," involved a number of prominent writers, led by celebrated Saudi novelist Abdo Khal. In another program, "Warmth of Poetry", poets paid homage to both the art form and their heritage.
The Jazan Literary Club has published “many poetry collections, novels, literary studies, and critiques that enrich the literary scene of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab world in general,” according to Al-Salhabi.
“In terms of translation, we had the important task of translating selected short stories (from Arabic) into English, which were then published in the book ‘Everything is Reduced to Ashes’ by the Arab Scientific Publishers,” he added.
Beyond the horizon
Al-Salhabi published his first poetry collection, “Playing on Worn Out Strings,” in 2002. It was only the first of many.
Since then, the poet has been on a quest to create his own unique path.
“Poetry is a beautiful experience, despite its challenges and the suffering that comes with it. The Arabs have said in the past, ‘Poetry is a difficult endeavour; its ladder is lengthy for those who climb it without understanding it first'," he said.
The Arabs have said in the past, 'Poetry is a difficult endeavour; its ladder is lengthy for those who climb it without understanding it first.'
Hassan Al-Salhabi, Saudi poet and translator
"To me, poetry is a source of immense joy and a touch of sadness, which I'm wary of suppressing. When it crosses my path, I welcome its relief and embrace it with open arms."
"Over the years, when a poem visits me, I become completely infatuated with it. When it abandons me, I search for it everywhere, with no horizon around me, and no constraints to stop me from flying."
Al-Salhabi described poetry as his "close companion". To him, poems are like flowers that he adorns his days with or stars that illuminate his night skies.
"I remember when I first made the decision to publish a poetry collection. I was very hesitant, but a lot of friends pushed me to embark on this wonderful adventure," he said.
The idea kept growing until the road forward became more clear.
"Each collection (I published) is linked to a story of my life, which I communicate poetically. They contain love, passion, and sometimes madness. Some reveal what was hidden from my own worlds," he said.
The poet's titles tend to come to him in moments of "overflowing" inspiration. They sometimes change as the poem itself changes.
The final versions grace the covers of his many books, including "Treacherous Resemblance", "In the Hands of Imru' Al-Qais", "No One Is Worthy of You but Me" and "Hidden in the Cheek of a Lantern."
"In the Hands of Imru' Al-Qais" by Hassan Salhabi
Dictating its own form
For Al-Salhabi, poetry itself flows smoothly and confidently, defining its own shape, without seeking permission first. This is what prompted him to write vertical or metred poetry – a visually and orally distinct form, following a certain rhythm and sentence structure.
"I have written vertical poems and published them in the form of poetic lines or phrases because I believed their poetic rhythm to be completely different when heard than when seen," said Al-Salhabi.
An example of this is the poem "Lust for Fire", originally in Arabic:
"Moans come,
wind ripples,
the paper empties almost everything that is inside."
Another example is "In the Hands of Imru' al-Qais" which is faithful to the classical Arabic poetry metre, al-Ṭawīl. The metre consists of distichs (two lines), often written side-by-side with a space between them, with the first line called "sadr" and the second "ʿajuz." Throughout the entire poem, every last syllable of a distich will rhyme.
This metre was chosen to create a certain poetic atmosphere, as well as to honour Imru' al-Qais, an esteemed 6th-century king, who is considered the spiritual father of Arabic poetry.
In "Wings of a Dream," the metred form is used to capture an intimate moment. In "Sinbad in the Mist of Deception," the circular metred form symbolises long journeys and strife. These are just a few of a prolific list of examples.
Al-Salhabi's diverse poetic journey has earned him several awards, such as the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Award for First Poetic Creation, the Rashid bin Humaid Award for Culture and Sciences in Classical Poetry (from the United Arab Emirates), and the Ministry of Information Book Award in Poetry.
Despite this, Al-Salhabi's motivations fall outside of the realm of prestige or recognition.
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"While poetry awards shed light on a poet's experience and encourage further creativity, they do not, in themselves, influence the depth, uniqueness, or quality of the writing," said Al-Salhabi.
Translation is joy and betrayal
Outside of poetry, Al-Salhabi has translated many literary works into Arabic. These include "How the Rainbow Fell on My Heart: An Anthology of Modern American Poetry" and "Poems by TS Eliot".
Translating poetry has its own challenges, which only a few in the field are capable of tackling.
For Al-Salhabi, it's a "delightful hobby" that has taught him about "different human experiences and diverse cultures." However, it's also "challenging, tedious, and involves great risk."
"A translator of poetry must be a profound poet in both the original source language and the target language," said Al-Salhabi.
A translator of poetry must be a profound poet in both the original source language and the target language.
Hassan Al-Salhabi, Saudi poet and translator
Not only that, but translators must be "first-class critics" to delve deeply into a text, identify with it and understand its meaning in a way that stays true to the original poet's vision.
"Many who are not poets produce translations that lack lustre and lose the poetic essence of the original. Nonetheless, poetic translation is a betrayal of the text, no matter how creative it may be," he added.
Al-Salhabi, who founded and oversaw the Translation Committee of the Jazan Literary Club, said it has had "a great impact" on bringing talented translators together and fostering cooperation between them, ultimately opening up windows into other cultures.
It has also helped to publish key pieces of Arabic literature in various languages, raising awareness around cultural accomplishments born out of this region.
In terms of the growth of the poetry scene in Saudi Arabia, Al-Salhabi says it was originally inspired by some of the Arab world's best-known poetic influences. Now, however, the country's poets have begun to shine on their own.
"No one denies that the beginnings of the renaissance of the Saudi poetic scene were a continuation of the Arab poetic renaissance, which featured Mahmoud Darwish, Nizar Qabbani, Ahmed Shawqi, Abdullah Al-Baradouni and other great Arab poets," he said.
"But nowadays, Saudi poetry stands tall; its features are shaped and characterised by the features of the land and the strong spirit of the Saudi people. It even competes in Arab forums."
