January 16, 2007

Yahia Lababidi

IF by Yahia Lababidi


If there were more than one of me
I'd shave my head and grow my beard
I'd be a Doctor of Theology

In great coat of myth, impermeable to ridicule
I'd raise my voice and sing
hymns to the Unknown god

Another me would come undone voluptuously
submit to possessions, deliriously
mate with night in vicious delight


...


Order Yahia's Book
Actually if anyone is lucky enough to be in this beautifully over polluted city of Cairo you might also find it at the AUC Bookshop

More Information and more works by Yahia

Why do I advertise Yahia. First because I like him as a person.
But also because there is a couple of photos I took with him on my mind on a trip to Syria. When I came back home from the land of the Phoenicians, Yahia had already gone to the Land of skyscrappers, and I never had the chance of showing them to him.

So here they are. He will recognize those I refer to.


There used to be a slideshow posted here but it was removed because it was causing too many browsers crashing, however you can still see it Here

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

you do me honor, man. I'd blush if i could... low oriental bow instead, with deep gratitude.

excerpt of poem is wonderful (it is soon to be published in Leviathan: journal of Melville studies, and I'm afraid I'll have to give them first credits;). Did smile outloud, though, how you made it speak for you & sing your life. Okay, soppy now, but always been fond of your quietly radical outlook and promiscious eye (naturally I am referring to your photography).

pics made me chuckle; ah, those Lababidis, if they're not artists ... then, they're artistes;)

# hope
# love
# peace
# freedom

p2 said...

I do like your answer and would like to add it as a comment (self advertising oblige) however and unfortunately I have or seem not to be able to find any pictures of you and I would like though to have your picture with your comment, although I did disallow this feature on my blog. Do send me one though of your Cairene days and I'll try to understand html and robotics enough to clone you into my blog.

Your deep sense of oriental gratitude is matched by a plunge onto the floor helped by those beautifully unstable sidewalks of Cairo

Anonymous said...

it occurred to me to try to do it myself, but technologically-overwhelmed.

picking you off floor and dusting you off,
only to fall down myself, slapstick-style
Y

Anonymous said...

I didn't understand the concluding part of your article, could you please explain it more?

p2 said...

Well the 2 shops ensigns are Lababidi's ... I just thought it was relevant :)

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