Six Ethiopian poets of the diaspora
A selection of poems from contemporary poets of the Ethiopian diaspora, including work by Alemayehu Gebrehiwot, Alemtsehay Wodajo, Alemu Tebeje Ayele, Amha Asfaw, Hama Tuma, and Lena Bezawork Grönlund.
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Five Ethiopian poets of the 20th century
A selection of poems from Ethiopia’s best-loved poets of the 20th century, including work by Kebede Mikael, Mengistu Lemma, Gebre Kristos Desta, Tsegaye Gebre-Medhin, and Solomon Deressa.
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Contemporary Ethiopian poets: Fekade Azeze
“Yes, I have walked your streets, I have made no strides./ Your secrets are endless, Addis!” Poetry by Fekade Azeze, translated from Amharic by the author and Chris Beckett.
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Contemporary Ethiopian poets: Zewdu Milikit
“in the year of the spider —/ everyone’s weaving a ladder/ of cobwebs, and trying/ to fly when they’re falling…”
Poetry by Zewdu Milikit, in Amharic and English.
Contemporary Ethiopian poets: Bewketu Seyoum
“For him/ she is not just a woman:/ she holds the stars in her body, / the earth in her soul….”
Poetry by Bewketu Seyoum, in Amharic and English.
Translating Amharic Poems
“I have come to believe that much of qÉ™ne poetry is virtually untranslatable, at least in a way that does not compromise its integrity…” Bahrnegash Bellete on the challenges (and rewards) of translating from Amharic to English.
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