Dubai: “The night, Binds me like a page in a book, And when the morning surprises me, With its sun, the red apple, I would stand.”
Verses like these, recited by award winning Emirati poet Khalid Al Budoor and others, accompanied by the slow, rhythmic tunes of the Oud set against the backdrop of a silent desert, opened up minds and hearts at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature’s Desert Stanza.
Held away from the fast-paced city life, nearly 170 authors and poets gathered under the starry sky at a base camp in Al Aweer.
The second Desert Stanza, back by popular demand, also hosted Beijing-born poet and painter Yan Li, former Poet Laureate from the UK Andrew Motion, German performance poet Frank Klotgen, Lemn Sissay — the first poet to be commissioned to write for the London Olympics — and renowned Emirati poet Khulood Al Mualla.
While participants were treated to a Bedouin camp that gave them an insight into the traditional way of Emirati life — with camels and falcons on display — the desert proved to be the main attraction.
Upon entering the camp, a large calligraphy display made from sand out of a nearby dune caught everyone’s attention. A soft red light that shone upon the sand feature added to its beauty.
The artist behind the calligraphy piece was Shadi Al Matroushi, the first Emirati sand sculptor and Consul General of the UAE in Mumbai, India.
As each of the six poets recited their works on stage, the odd passing of an airplane above prompted them to pause until the whirring engine sounds faded into the distance.
With no distractions other than the cold breeze, the poems — recited in the native tongue of the poets — brought visitors together as they listened to the depth, struggle and intensity captured in their words.
