O Houria [English translation]

I would have liked to sing eternal tales for you

and fallen suns and full moons, dark nights,

and on the shores of lakes where burned out angels sleep

I would have laid blazing flames on your forehead.

I would have liked to sculpt incredible poems,

flaming birds tearing through bleak nights,

and on the top of mountains, a few passing angels

would have etched mirages in the stone.

O Houria1

love might well never cross our path again2.

O Hourria

love might well be dead before I return.

I would have liked to give you fine blue dreams,

illuminated stars lost in your hair,

liked to listen to life whispering through these wet lips

from the place where your name is.

O Houria

love might well never cross our path again.

O Houria

love might well be dead before I return.

3

I would have liked to give you a piece of sky every night,

to stroke the light, smooth your wings somewhat.

While perfumes rip through the morning light,

I would have built every tomorrow for you.

O Houria

love might well never cross our path again.

O Hourria

love might well be dead before I return.

O Houria

I would not have wanted the mist to change anything,

O Houria

not have wanted the cruel winds to cut my hands.

O Houria

love might well never cross our path again.

O Houria

love might well be dead before I return.

O Houria

1. An Arabic feminine first name. Might mean a nymph or a girl with beautiful wide eyes. It might also allude to the 1987 Algerian movie bearing the same name2. more precisely "we might well never cross love's path again", but for some reason I found that sounded a bit heavy in English3. The poem in the background is the begining of "Algerian Odyssey" and goes:

O, Algeria. You're the source of miracles

You're God's wonder among (his) creatures

O, You're God's smile in his earth,

O, (You're) laughing-featured face of him.

.

(kindly translated by Eagles Hunter)

• Artist:Souad Massi