Great Talent!

My link with the sun is broken
And in the infinite expanse of death
I’ve lost the path of truth for life
But, no problem,
I continue to climb up the ladder
So that I can lighten the lamp of my pride
On the dusty portico of history

I speak calculatingly
I write calculatingly
I feed the precious dove of my conscience
-- sitting in the cage of democracy –
according to the prices of the times.
I hold the reigns of my restless mind
in the confined stable of courtesy and fine speech,
So that my mind stays inside the bounds of custom.

I have great talent,
Word by word, I’ve memorized Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends.
And I know well how to tell the ugliest girl in town,
“All my love poems are for you …
 … you are as beautiful as my love poems.”

I speak calculatingly.
Even when the neighbor’s dog barks at me,
I don’t reach for a rock,
When the neighbor’s dog barks at me,
I take off my hat of dignity
And say in the sweetest voice,
“Come, doggy, I was waiting for you!”

On the street, when I meet up with a bear,
I say with a silly smile,
“So glad to see you!”
And if the burden-bearing donkey,
twitches its ear towards me,
I screw up my face in deep thought,
And say,
“You’re right,
I was just thinking the same thing!”

I’ve got great talent,
And after 50 years of experience,
I’ve found the path to success.
One must let go of one’s dignity, just a bit,
And eat the bread according to the prices of the times.

I have great talent,
Thank God!
The International Organization of Migration
Has given me a name even longer than Shaykh al-Rais Abu Ali Sina of Balkh.

I have great talent.
In 50 years I’ve learned,
How to calculate everything.
I have learned it in the past 50 years
Not to step on anyone’s toes
Not to share anything with “brave butchers