Review: ‘Modern Sudanese Poetry: An Anthology’

Modern Sudanese Poetry: An Anthology, edited by Sudanese author Adil Babikir, is a glorious testament to the vibrant dynamism of Sudanese literary culture. In recent times, Sudanese poetry has earned fans worldwide. 

The immaculate visions of a bright future is etched in the lines of this collection of poems, which are sometimes rebellious and revolting and promise a better tomorrow. The poems included in the anthology are deeply political and yet subversive. The rage and anguish of the poetry find expressiveness in the translation. The late Sudanese-Libyan writer Mohammed Al Fayturi writes in his poem, Yaaqut Al Arsh:

A world owned not by its owners;

its richest are its masters: the poor.

The losers are those who take not what it shyly gives out. 

The senseless are those who take things at their face value.

The crown of a tyrant sultan is an apple

– Mohammed Al Fayturi, Yaaqut Al Arsh

The majesty of the poem lies in its controlled denouement of sentiment. The confluence of Arab and African cultures produces a rich vein of political and poetical enunciation here. The verses are subtle as well as hard-hitting. Their refined sensibility holds the reader in thrall. It is a beautiful collection to be read and cherished over a long period of time-a treasure. The primordial human spirit that animates every page of this anthology of poems, also feels contemporary. In The Old Sea, Sudanese poet Mustapha Sanad writes:

Between us walls expand—

as does an eternal night— 

and a thousand doors stand. 

Between us my senescence is laid bare, 

and the masks of youth fade away. 

What would people say, 

when aging palms frivolously swing and sway, 

and ruin reins over the land again?

A virgin land’s lust for rain, 

triggered by glittering mirage echoing down rivulets’ veins!

– Mustapha Sanad,  The Old Sea

The exquisite rhyme and rhythm of the poem are particularly remarkable. The poet expresses the human will to freedom using aesthetic images and landscapes. The sublimity of the landscape melts into the poetry. The quest for freedom mingles here with the ethical and  aesthetic sentiment. The moral fabric of society is preserved by the eloquence of the tongue. Images of immense fertility are interspersed with those of despair. Life oozes out of the lines. The vitality of the language is palpable at every turn of the page. 

Poetry of the highest order has no ulterior political motives. The most political poems are sometimes the most aesthetically pleasing. The Golden Scythe Song by Sudanese poet Mahgoub Kbalo gives this impression to at least some of the readers. 

The flowers on your skirts, 

are courting the park flowers, 

across the creek. 

I won’t send you flowers. 

I know you won’t forgive plucking them. 

The lure of your prancing,

keeps all sins away from our embrace heaven.

– Mahgoub Kbalo, The Golden Scythe Song

The anthology comes with a brilliant foreword by Egyptian-American poet and writer Mathew Shenoda who said, ‘these poems capture the often tumultuous and complex histories and cultural intersections in Sudan’s modern period. Anchored in the mid- to late 20th century, these poems give significant insight into the rise of Sudanese nationalism and the period of independence.’’ The one drawback is that the original text has not been provided alongside the translations, but that is a minor quibble with this magnificent literary effort. 

For more infomration or to access/purchase Modern Sudanese Poetry: An Anthology, visit www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9781496215635/

Umar Nizarudeen is with the University of Calicut, India. He has a PhD in Bhakti Studies from the Centre for English Studies in JNU, New Delhi. His poems and articles have been published in Vayavya, Muse India, Culture Cafe Journal of the British Library, The Hindu, The New Indian Express, The Bombay Review,  The Madras Courier, FemAsia, Sabrang India,  India Gazette London, Ibex Press Year’s Best Selection, and also broadcast by the All India Radio.