Me, In Translation

I Googled myself the other day, as I do occasionally to keep myself in perspective (there's a Tyler Chadwick who's a car racer of some sort, another Tyler Chadwick who's a young baseball pitcher in Georgia, and a Chadwick Tyler who's a photographer somewhere in the world). Wading through the list of links (not much about me, really), I found that someone in Syria has translated one of my poems, "At First," into Arabic. You can find the translation here, though, unless you read Arabic, you'll need Google to translate it for you.

Because I think it's interesting how Google's translation of the translation turns out, I'm posting it here for your reading enjoyment. (I really hope it reads better in Arabic than this):

At the outset.


They must know that people see
To see any of that breast, which faded, even here

Where they are at home and my uncle
Have nine children, and which must be satisfied

Under the skin, without the attention of scars
Under vacuum or vacancy Blozatha

Worn by to this day to worship in the church, and not
Still worn

It is cherished family and friends who have
Consignment to greet returning to the country from Cleveland

They had come to forget what I lost.

(Translator: Saleh Alersouk)

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Thank you, Saleh (if that's really your name) for taking my poetry international and for giving my ego another boost.