The Pages of Day and Night [Paperback]

Adonis (Author), Samuel Hazo (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Adonis (Ali Ahmen Said), a two-time Nobel finalist and the author of more than 20 books of poetry, prose and literary criticism, is arguably the leading Arabic poet in the world. As he states in his preface, ``Poetry is . . . a perpetual beginning,'' and many of the poems in this collection, whether lyrical, fantastical or revelatory, are imbued with a mystical timelessness; a style that echoes the pre-Islamic poetry of Sufism; and a linguistic sensibility that prefers the simple, more accessible image over the intellectualized imagery of Western poetry. The long poem ``Transformations of the Lover'' celebrates sexual union with such energy that the poem is elevated to an intensely spiritual level: ``My body started to prepare itself for something / like the fall of planets. . . Your body is April itself, and every part / of you becomes a dove that speaks my name.'' But the most engaging portion of the collection comes in the form of a brief concluding essay in which Adonis addresses the difficulties faced by a poet writing in Arabic--a language that was, at least for him, nullified with the advent of Islam. This is an immensely satisfying new collection of poems--continuing the poet's restless, metaphysical exploration into ``everything strange.''

Copyright 1994 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

"The Arab has grown up in a culture which views language as his speaking image, and himself as its feeling, thinking reflection....It is as if language created the Arab," writes Adonis in an earlier work (An Introduction to Arab Poetics, Univ. of Texas Pr., 1990). Adonis's work surely reflects his philosophy, though he writes frequently of being "exiled" from his own language. One of the best known, most prolific, and innovative of contemporary Arab poets, Adonis (born in 1930 in Syria of peasant parents and later a Lebanese citizen) writes from a profound understanding of and love for the Arabic culture from which he has been politically exiled. His poems are passionate, tragic, lyrical, evocative. Translator Hazo brings what he can of the rich, impassioned flow of Arabic into our more placid language. The translations, unlike many, stand on their own as poems. Highly recommended for all libraries with collections of poetry or international literature.
Judy Clarence, California State Univ. Lib., Hayward
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 108 pages
• Publisher: Marlboro Press; 1 edition (October 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810160811
• ISBN-13: 978-0810160811
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #990,429 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unknown gem, September 12, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pages of Day and Night (Hardcover)

It's a real shame Adonis books are so hard to find here in America. This guy is such a gem! When I was in Paris, it was a real treat to be at the Centre du Monde Arabe where they had quite a number of Adonis books in their bookstore. I predict he's a near future Nobel prize winner. If you like Adonis, drop me a line sometime.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong and Beautiful: Memorize and Imitate, December 31, 2009

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John Michael Albert "John-Michael Albert" (Portsmouth NH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Pages of Day and Night (Paperback)

It is impossible to do justice to such strong and beautiful poetry. And to think that I owe it also to the good graces and keen skill of a poet-translator, Samuel Hazo. You should read this book because (1) Adonis is one of the greater 20th century arabic poets, (2) both his short lyrics and his longer odes (four included here: one each on Lebanon (?), Exile, New York, and Love) are worth committing to memory and imitation and (3) the book includes both a Preface and an essay, Poetry and Apolitical Culture, that serve as keys both to his poetry and to Arabic poetry across the ages.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In the beginning was the exile, not the word, July 21, 2009

By 

Edita - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pages of Day and Night (Paperback)

Adonis says that the Arab poet lives between two exiles: the internal one and the external one or between two hells: the I and the Other.
"The I is not I, nor is it the Other.
Absence and exile constitute the only presence."
He hopes for some promise of a beginning from a poetry and at the same time doubts if it is possible between two exiles when he is prevented from being himself and when he even doesn't live for the Other.He feels that poetry as if is moving to the language and image of death, where both I and the Other discover their deaths.

The Days

My eyes are tired, tired of days,
tired regardless of days.
Still, must I drill
through wall after wall
of days to seek another day
Is there? Is there another day?