WITH such a daring and provocative poem the young Saudi poet Hilda Ismail begins the recently translated collection of her poems entitled “Icons,” published by Stacey International Publishers in London. The collection is divided into three sections: A prevaricating Eve, Sighs, and Mewing. For Hilda, “The poem is a lightning shock,” that must convey a great deal in only a few words. Her poems were first published in cultural forums in the Internet on what has become known in Saudi Arabia as “Internet Literature.” After a great deal of positive criticism, she collected the poems and published them in her debut volume entitled “Birth In Two Brackets.”
Q: Two questions at once: What can you tell us about your life as a young twentieth-century Saudi woman, your family, study and work? How does all that intersect with you as a poet?
Heavy is the load that I carry every day; poetry is not the only thing that is a part of my life. What I live can be listed under the category of passion for I rarely do what I don’t like. I guess I still belong to the world of childhood despite all my responsibilities. For many years, I did volunteer work with disabled children and in fact, I did a masters degree in working with disabled children. I often suffer psychological pollution and anger because I cannot tolerate minor trivialities. Lately I have become less considerate or perhaps more rude because of people who complain and ache for no reason; every day I witness real pain in the faces of the disabled children I work with and whose disabilities I am powerless to change.
Q: Publishing your poems initially on the Internet might be considered as a bold challenge or as some have described it “cultural asylum” from literary critics or perhaps society’s supervision. Why didn’t you follow the usual channels for publishing?
Are you talking about “asylum”? Contrary to what politicians think, “asylum” is a very emotive word. It is not wrong at all to turn down a different path and allow another dimension to our contradictions. It’s just a new experience that might be cheerful or dangerous but most of all, its worth the shot to try it with a child’s stubbornness and an artist’s worrying. I tried it as a creature not looking for praise or blame.
My own conscience means a lot to me; I am not out to challenge society and authority. If my works revolve around daring themes, they wouldn’t be sold now in our bookstores and so far, I have had no objections. From time to time we need to tap, to protest, to hide behind a lover or even to sigh in a loud voice! For me poetry is a long sigh. It is the recklessness of a saint; it is just this sweet oppression.
Q: It is said that literature is set free on the web but faces limitations when published. How do you respond to such arguments?
Being able to fly in any sky is what distinguishes the privileges given to literature. It must have real wings, not merely feathers! The printed book is still flourishing in the West, day after day, even with the power and pervasiveness of the Internet. I think that good writers don’t need to search for readers, but readers will find them.
Q: Your book is called “Icons” and that is a Greek word that means image or statue. Your short poems obviously depict women’s life in different conditions. Do the women “women” here stand only for Hilda’s experiences or as a symbol of today’s modern woman?
Don’t you know that icons are hung on the walls of churches? They are to be covered first with sackcloth and white gypsum after painting and then covered in order to keeps it like new for a longer time — so it will be more transparent and closer to the soul. They do that because the art of making icons is not an imitation of nature but an imitation of something spiritual. The same is for my short poetic icons. My poems represent me but after several layers of cunning, coloring and varnishing to maintain the surprise for a longer time.
Q: Why do you divide your poems into three sections if most of your poems address a man?
But why is it automatically understood that I address a man just because the language is masculine? It might be a symbol for other things such as: The moon, country, fear, happiness or even writing.
Q: By translating “Icons” what will it bring to you? More readers or perhaps more fame?
I don’t fly simply because the sky is blue and clear! Sometimes we are forced to fly because our countries cannot support us any more. I was content with the Arabic version but writing is unpredictable and has no clear boundaries. When “Icons” was first published in Arabic, it provoked many reactions that revolved around useless traditional topics such as: is it poetry or prose? Did she really write it? Does she deserve all the praise or is the praise just because she is a woman? In the middle of all that, I received the offer to translate my book. It was not fair to refuse such a chance meant to push me forward while others were pulling me backwards.
Q: In one of your poems you say “Decrepit poetry... Lies in long lyrics”. Is that a defense of your short poems?
Since when poetry was used as a “defense”! Some might not know that to express the meaning in a line or less is much harder than doing so in a whole page. When Bernard Shaw was asked about the diminishing of his spark near the end of his life, he said: “I don’t have enough time to write short articles.” Personally, I made a choice from the beginning not to waste my energy in chattering. I prefer swift signals and, more than that, I love the witty reader who catches the hidden meanings.
Q: Don’t you think in translating poems into another language that much of their originality is lost?
Haven’t you heard the saying” Translated poetry is little more than a kiss given behind a mirror”? The last UNESCO report concerning Arab cultural development pointed out that all that has been translated into Arabic in all Arab countries over the past thousand years does not equal what Spain translates in a single year! I’m fairly sure that when it comes to the translation of Arabic books into other languages, the situation is even worse. I don’t deny that translating poetry is extremely difficult when compared it to other literary forms. But when the translator is a poet and a critic — as in the case of Soa’ad Najeeb — the translator of “Icons” — I’m positive that she did a fine job by maintaining the poems’ original spirit.