TAZWART

  Ay ixef-iw rfed asefru...

Idhaq wul ad yessefru maca i wumi asefru ma ur d-igellu ara s ubeddel deg umadhal? I wumi asefru i deg ur tella tifrat?

Asefru ur d n-gellu ara s kra d amaynut, asenfel n tikta, s useftutes n tillas, s uslali n tafat, i wumi-t? D tidet asefru d ihulfan n wemdan id-yettfeggidhen deg-s, d kra id- yekkan si tkatarsist”. Maca akin i ta, d acu yellal? D acu ara yawi imeghri d amaynut, d taghawsa s wayes i ara iqabel ddunit, d takti i ara yeffuktin d tid yesaa.

Wa d yiwen seg iaawwiqqen d yezgan deg webrid n kra n imedyazen. Maca llan wid i wumi ur yelli d aawwiq imi xeddmen akken ixeddem umeksa. I nagh tecfam fell-as tmacahut-nni n wasmi i as-nnan” a t-an ass-a d ageffur amek ara teksedh? Ihi, nwan sheslen-t ad asen-yini ur kessegh ara, netta, tugh yeghra-tent akken ghran ttelba ddemyati, yenna-as: “akken yella wass ad t-yeks umeksa!” anamek n wawal d wa: akken tebghu tili terwist, nekk ad s-ddugh, ur berrugh ara i yifassen-iw.

 Ayen akka? Acku amedyaz macci d win iberrun i yifassen, i tikta, i leqrar. D win yetteddun gher zdat, yessaram acku d asirem i t- –icudden gher tudert akken icudd taqbaylit-nni i as-yennan deg wawal-is” asirem yezdegh ul-iw ghas ddunit berriket”.

Ihi, Hsen Maric d yiwen seg imedyazen-nni yugin ad brun i leqrar, seg wid yezdegh usirem. Asmi d-yessufegh ammud isefra amezwaru”Idh YUKIN”( Isefra steqbaylit d tsuqqilt gher t fransist) deg useggas n 2005, yezra belli yekcem-d annar iwaaren. Maca d acu i d anamek n tmeddurt n win ara yagaden igheblan n ddunit? Hsen ur ten-yugad: yezra acu d-djdjan imezwura, wid i yeggan llsas  i tmedyazt taqbaylit, wid i yas-yerran ccan. Yeghra ayen akk id-yeffghen di tezmamin n yisefra yuran s teqbaylit d kra id

yewwi Sliman Aazem, Lewnis Ayt Mengellat, Ben Muhemmed...

Hsen ur s hwin ara isefra n tayri yuran swanam n lwerd; netta, yesmenyaf ad yefk i yimeghriyen tameqqunt n lwerd i deg ara d-yeddu ujedjig ucbih yettrahen zid d isennanen iteqqsen, d-ijerrhen taksumt. Deg waya yemgarrad d Baudelaire d yewwin kra ” ijedjigen n wayen n diri”

 Asseggas mbaad, yeffegh-d wammud wis sin “Taεezzult-iw” isefra s teqbaylit d tsuqqilt gher tefransist di 2006. Isental id-yewwi mgaraden d wid n zik ad naf: tajmilt i ubabat( atas it-yettun, cennun kan ghef tyemmat). Tayri macci d tin wawal: Hsen yefka-as ass deg-i tayri ad tedjudjeg  d ass n “Sidi Valentin” Tameghra n imaacuqen di 14 di Furar am urubiyen d imarikaniyen! Yesenteq-d ula d tissegnit tehka-d ghef wid i-nekren lxir-is almi i d tedjan aaryan.

  Di 2007 yeffegh-d wammud wis tlata Tiderray( isefra steqbaylit d tsuqqilt s tefransist). Seg usefru amezwaru “mebla dtiaad” arma d wis 33 “ a yul-iw yesnehtiten”, Hsen ad agh-d-yessik i temsal n tudert n yal ass maca s yefyar d unughen. Ula deg wammud agi yesenteq-d lmus ihkad-ghef is-yedhran d wemdan nni it id yesnulfan d tilufa nnidhen imi igh-d-yerna ula d timsaaraqt ”27,5” deg yella yizen laali i “ZIVKA” tinna ghef i ittaru. Achal yecbeh yisem-agi. widen iwumi yaadjeb semmant dgha iyessen sen.

 Tiderray d Voluble nights d inilban imi kra kan n wussan i gar assen. Ammud agi anegarru d tasuqqilt n “IDH YUKIN” gher teglizit i texdem Dalila Ait Salem taselmadt n teglizit. Ma d tazwart yuratt-id u selmad di tesdawit n l’Oregon state di marikan Nabil Boudraa.

 Di 2008, yessekles Hsen yiwen CD n isefra ines id yeddan di Taazzult-iw s lmuziga anda yesseqdec 06 n wallalen akken ad asen-yernu di rruh w ad d-asen hninit di tmezzught n wid ara sen yeslen wad ten-yawi deg yiwet n tirza mebla “le visa” mebla ttesrih gher wayen yebgha ad sen-d-imel.

  Hsen ad yessufegh tasuqilt- n “TAAZZULT-IW” gher teglizit s yisem CONFIDENCE AND MEMORIES deg tasuqqilt d tazwert ttwaxedmen sghur Dalila Ait Salem d Nabil Boudraa. Deg-s id yedda usefru nni SIDI VALENTIN  i yettwasuqlen ass-a gher 10 tutlayin.  Maca Hsen Maric ghas akken yewwedh yettwassen, yegguma ad yettu tamazight nni: amud agi isefra TIBERNINT D SSELLUM d wis rebaa i yura, yura-t kan s tmazight, tisuqilin zemrent ad radjunt!

Ghret-tt, amar ahat ad tafem acu icudden ger tbernint d ssellum! Ad tafem i d tawaghit n weqbayli, acu n takti i icudden ger yitij d wadhu maca macci akken i tt-yettwali la Fontaine ghas akken tefka inzi gher-s. Akken daghen yenna Hsen kra n tmacahut: “Yesaa waadaw takanna” d taqsidht nni n tnudht.

44 d asefru deg-wen a ttardjun, yal asefru d taqsidt ghef d ihekku, yura-ten-id Hsen Maric amar ad tafem iman nwen daxel, wad tafem tifrat i kra n isteqsiyen is.

Ihi, uqbel ad nfak awal ilaq ad izer imeghri acugher Hsen Maric yegguma ad yehbes asizreg n tezmamin, yerna s-yedrimen-is i yettxellis yalci. Asmi yesaa azal n rebaa iseggasen yemmut jeddi-s Ali n said n tala tulmut i illan d amedyaz mucaan di lwaqt-is. ur yufi kra yenna wemghar teddem-it tatut imi d tamedyazt timawit ; wid itt-yessnen mmuten negh ttun-tt. Si lehzen nni ghef ugerruj iruhen, s ddemar nni imi di tallit nni ulac win ixemmemen ad ten yessekles, yerna yumen belli “ sekra n wemghar yemmuten d tamkardhit i yewwi yid-s, yeggul ar kra ara yaru ara ad yeffegh “maci ad zeraagh ad iteddem wadhu” id yenna : tatut jami ad tughal ad tehwes kra si tsekla taqbaylit.

  Zdat usalu agi id-yerza Hsen, si tama nnegh ala asebghes i ara ad as-nessiwedh acku wid ibennun  ala qedha iyasen-neqqar.

Ddu d webrid, a Hsen, acku hala abrid i yessufughen!

                                        Dr  Said chemakh  Tagrest 2009

Tazwart

 A win yufan ad yessefru ghef wayen akk i t-iceghben, fell-as iaawez udhan, iga-as amdhiq gar yetran.

D ayen akk i ihemmel ara d yessenfali ama di tumert, ama di lqerh.

A win yufan ad yessefru ghef wayen akk yettwali di tudert n yal ass, ad d-yefk tamughli-is ulama wiyadh walan-tt-id akken nnidhen. Tamughli nnsen tessnernay deg yizri-s, tettak-as afud ad iwali ula s lbaad, ad issiked ayen yezrin, i yedhran negh ayen ara d –yedhrun d wayen idherrun.

A win yufan ad yessefru ghef wayen akk yettxemmim, s tigzi d tmussni. Ad d-yili d inigi i ddunit ghef wayen isaren yid-s; d amnadi ghef usafar ara tt-isejjin.  Ad d-yefk deg usefru ugur, tikerrist, acu itt-id yewwin, ar taggara ad d-yefk ttawil i ilaqen.

Akka tamedyazt, deg-s ahulfu, tamughli d tigzi. Deg usefru gher wayedh, deg umedyaz gher wayedh, ad d-naf yiwet deg-sent tella, negh kra n yiwet tekka-d s nnig tayedh.

Hsen MARIC d amedyaz atrar yesdukel-itent i tlata: ahulfu, tamughli d tigzi. Ladgha snat n tneggura-a banent-d atas, d nitenti i d afeggag n wayen yura d wayen i d-yeqqar.

Yessefra-d ayen i as-d-tefka tmughli, amzun akken iwala-t xas lukan di targit. Tamughli-s tusa-d d asugen n yiman-is, netta d umadhan i deg yettidir; ma wiyadh aacen taluft ur tt zrin, netta iwala-tt, yezra d acutt xas ma ur tt-yesaadda.

Yettakk-d deg yisefra-s tirmitin n tudert, seg wayen yegzi d wayen imeyyez. Yal taluft i ghef d-yewwi awal, amzun akken d tasledht i d-yexdem am tin yellan di tussna n ugama, d kra yellan di tilawt i d-yeqqar.

Amedyaz Hsen MARIC yusa-d i tikkelt-a ad d-yesdukel amud n yisefra-s deg krad n yidlisen.

Amezwaru Idh yukin (yunyu 2005), wis sin Taazzult-iw (magu 2006), wis krad Tiderray (yulyu 2007), yerra-ten-id d yiwen n udlis s tmazight mebla tisuqilin nnsen s tefransist am wakken llan uqbel.

D imeghriyen-is it-–yessawdhen, i as-yefkan afud akken ad yessemlil tamedyazt-is deg yiwen n udlis s tmazight.

Yenna-d netta s yiman-is belli ttnadin imeghriyen ad ten-aghen ur t-nufin ara, d asuter nnsen is yefkan tagnit akken ad asen-d iiwed.

Idh yukin d idh nni yugin ad yettes, yeksa-d tilufa i t- iceghben, i yedjan amedyaz yettaru.

Taeezzult teslul-d tiderray deg ubrid n tudert, ul ihulfa-asent almi rrant idh yuki, snettqent-d imi, iqaad-asent tameghrut, segment d isefra.

Tiderray d tidak-nni i yettagh umdan di tudert-is acku maci ala deg yidharren negh deg yifassen, imi ar umedyaz tiderray ttilint-d ula di yal tama n tfekka, ladgha deg wul, di tasa, deg uqerru akked tanefsit.

Taazzult-iw i yerran idh yuki, fell-as akk i tebna tmedyazt-is. Teffegh-d ula deg udhebsi n lmusiga di yebrir 2008.

Ma Sliman Azem deg yisefra-s yessenteq-d ighersiwen, Hsen MARIC yessenteq-d tissegnit, tehka-d ghef lxir-is i inker wumdan, alarmi i tt-yedja aaryan, am wakken daghen yedja lmus ad d-yehku tudert-is akk d winna i t-id-yesnulfan.

Atas n tlufa d tedyanin yedhran i ghef d-yewwi umedyaz, gar-asent asmekti n “Sidi Valentin “SAINT VALENTIN” ass n 14 di furar d tajmilt i wid yemhemmalen.

Asefru-a kkes-d win ur as-nesli, rrant gher watas n tutlayin: Tafransist, Taglizit, Taarabt, Tatelyanit, Tasbenyulit…

D akken ttwacnan isefra-s s ghur kra n yicennayen(inazuren): Ali Mezyan, Ferrudja, Ramdan Mecac, Idir Bellali d Bualam Zerawi

Mazal daghen atas n yisefra-s yettradjun nnuba nnsen ad d-ffghen deg iseggasen i d-iteddun. Ireggem-agh dgha belli ad d-yessufegh amud is amaynut di kra n waguren kan.

Hsen MARIC yusa-d di tegnit i deg tutlayt n tmazight tehwadj tira ara yesnernin di tsekla-s mebla tisuqqilin, ad terfed idhrisen-is, ad seun azal meqqren macci alama nerra-ten ar tutlayin nnidhen d wamek ara ttwaghren.

Ccbaha n tmedyazt, tulmisin-is d yisental i ghef d-tettawi, ara yefken daghen azal meqqren i tira d tghuri s tmazight(taqbaylit).

Ma d ayen yerzan tanfalit d umawal, tamedyazt-a tesselmad-a-gh-d si tama-s taqbaylit-nni taqurant. Atas n wawalen d yinzan ttun, xas ma tasuta n tallit-a ur ten-tessin, d tagnit i wakken ad ten-taf di tira.

Amedyaz-a d yiwen seg yilmezyen n tallit-a i inudan fell-asen , i yebghan ad yesker amaynut s uqbur.

Ass-a ihi Hsen MARIC ad agh yawi yid-s di tirza-s gher 90 n temsal deg ara gh-yedj ad n i ic yid-s yal ahulfu, yal izen d yal tikti.

Nessaram amud-a d ayen ara ikemmlen abrid nejren imezwura.

 ALIK  KUSSAILA
Le 01  mars 2009

“In the Zenata tribe, one of the nations in the Maghreb, the poet walks in the front and sings: his song animates solid mountains”[1]

Ibn Khaldun

I was asked by some colleagues few years ago to serve as guest editor for a special issue of the poetry review, To Topos, devoted to North African poetry, entitled “North African Voices”. After reading some of Ahcene Mariche’s poems on his own website, I have asked him to submit one or two poems for that particular issue.  Later, Ahcene sent me a number of his new poems, among which I have selected “Saint Valentine”.

After that publication experience, I had the chance to meet Ahcene and to read more of his poetry. On a number of occasions, I even had the chance to hear him read his own poems on a TV literary show and on audio files that he offered me. I immediately found his poetry powerful, musical, magical and soothing. It is then both my pleasure and duty to write this short preface for this second translation of his poetry.

As I was gathering my thoughts for this preface in a local public library here in the United States, my eyes lay coincidentally on an anthology of world poetry[2] at the bottom shelf of the poetry section. Next to it lays another compilation of world poetry, entitled Poems from many Cultures[3]. I grabbed them and went back to my seat with a small feeling of excitement to see what poems are picked to represent my culture. To my dismay, I was saddened to find out that all the cultures of the world are represented in those two poetry books, except ours. I must say however that this was not new to me. Same unfortunate phenomenon happens to our culture in other fields, such as mythology, history, literature, music and arts, among others.

Several questions run through my mind. Is our poetry not worth this publication? Who is to blame for this? Do the editors at least know that Kabyle poetry exists? In trying to think about this matter, I realized that “others” are not to blame for this situation and that the issue is not with our culture. It is simply our duty to honor our culture and showcase it on the world stage.

One way to accomplish this is by opening more windows to our culture and expose it in other languages. This translation of Ahcene Mariche’s poetry is inscribed in that spirit and takes strident steps on that road that has just begun. So, Ahcene’s merit also lies in his initiative to have his poetry translated into other languages, especially English. Translating Kabyle poetry is not an easy endeavor but a necessary one. In doing so, he and the translator (Dalila Aït Salem) opened a kind of a breezeway for our culture, thus allowing her to evolve and be more visible, and hopefully even better, appreciated. 

The Kabyle language in its poetic expression tends to be dense and short. One word sometimes means an idea or an entire concept. A combination of only a few words often makes a story. One of the poems in this collection, coincidentally called “One Word”, illustrates very well this heavy weight we find in Kabyle words. The poet knows too well the importance and sharpness of words. He says:

A word can be sharper than a knife

Its cutting is so aching

The liver burns

The eye is hurt with tears

All parts of the body are wounded

As if they are pierced by a sword

A word like wine or a drug

Can make you drunk

And sometimes as raging

As a stormy ocean

Your spirit gets restless

And your nights are sleepless

So to follow (or keep) this rhythm is simply a difficult task. One has to be perfectly at ease in the two languages in order to understand the meaning, in the original, and then render it as poetically as possible in the English language. In this case, a dictionary is often not useful at all. Dalila has then taken on this challenge and did a good rendition of the original.

We often hear that a poet is like a child, because a child sees things that others don’t. I feel it is the case in Ahcene’s poetry in general. He often pinpoints to topics and things that are unfortunately overlooked in our society today. Ahcene’s poems are about jealousy, fate, ladies, time, and the present; in sum about life. His poems do not escape reality but remain at the heart of it. The poet, says Heidegger, is the one who is in touch with everything. This “everything” could be a human being, a tree, a dog, a jug, or even a sound. Through his poetry, Mariche is also in touch with Nature. His poems on the wind and on the night are a case in point here.

In conclusion, I hope the readers will enjoy reading these poems in the translation as much as I did.

Nabil Boudraa

March 2008

Preface for Ahcene Mariche’s Nuits Volubiles                                                                  

When I was asked by Ahcene Mariche to write a preface for the English version of his collection of poems, I have immediately accepted not only because I liked his poetry but because I admired the fact that he understood the necessity of crossing borders. Confining one’s poetry in one language, one culture and one country is simply not enough. At the dawn of this new millennium, it is necessary, more than ever, to cross, if not build, bridges to other cultures around the globe. I feel honored in this sense to be part of this crossing that Ahcene is making through his poetry.

A couple of years ago, I have read some of Ahcene Mariche’s poems for a sampling of North African poetry that I have published as a special issue of a poetry review in the United States . The first thing I noticed about his poetry is its universal dimension. The poems in this compilation are not locked in what one may call “provincialism” but deal with universal topics that resonate in each corner of this planet. But these poems are also strong because they are well encroached in their local setting and spring mostly from the poet’s personal experience. It is precisely this constant artistic movement from the particular to the universal, back and forth, that makes Mariche’s poetry interesting. Crudely put, one has to start from the self and reach out abundantly to the other(s) without complex resentment. To me, this seems to be what this poet is set out to do.

The publication of these poems in English will delight English-speaking readers, who can now have access to Mariche’s poetry. But it will also allow the readers-already familiar with his poetry in the other languages- to re-discover them now in English.  Thus, the readers accompany this poet in this journey of discovery. A discovery of words, smells, colors, ideas, thoughts, and feelings across territories. In a sense, poetry transcends society and somehow forces people, especially those endowed with some sensibility, to reach beyond the self and beyond the world.

Ahcene Mariche is not just any poet.  He knows too well not to separate poetry from life. In fact, his inspiration springs from life itself, from his entire experience as a teacher and cameraman, among other talents and passions. A poet is at the heart of the world, listens to it, responds to it, and, even better, sings it. These aspects must not be taken for granted as they nourish the imagination, which the poet, in turn, represents for us in words.

In addition, Ahcene is also carrying the tradition of poetry, passed down to him from his grandfather, who was, so it seems, a renowned poet in his native Kabylia.

Ahcene Mariche’s poetry is also rich in thematic value. His topic of predilection is obviously love, but this does not keep him from writing about such themes as friendship, uncertainty, beauty, fate, hope, peace, and other aspects of life.

At last but not least, it is also important to acknowledge Dalila Ait Salem’s work in translating these poems into English. Any translation of poetry in general is a daunting task. It is even more arduous in this particular case because it is a translation into English. A language that is distant from the original (Kabyle) both culturally and geographically. No reason to delve into this topic here but one must acknowledge that the workings of the language, the images and the nuances are quite dissimilar. Dalila’s efforts to keep the soul of these poems must then be complimented. 

                                                                                                          Nabil Boudraa

                                                                                                          March 2007