Galal El-Behairy is a poet, lyricist, and the 2025 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award Honoree. He was arrested on March 5, 2018 by Egyptian authorities for his writing and later sentenced to three years in prison by a military court. Despite completing this sentence, the Egyptian government continues to bring new charges against him, keeping him behind bars.
This summer, Galal turned 36. He wrote this poem for his birthday – his ninth consecutive birthday spent in a cell.
Today is my birthday,
Half passed,
Half died,
Half slipped through my fingers in silence,
untouched, without a breath,
Half had passed,
Nothing remains of the day but a mirage,
reflecting in my soul’s mirror, in the body
in time that carves me slowly
Like a tombstone
A half, complete
A half, done
Yet, the rest is ultimate proof of what had withered.
---------
It’s a night like all others,
It did not differ
but of its bleak blackness,
The prison doors are like prisons,
Only widens to narrow back again
Another dream burns between my fingers,
burns in my ribs, a bitter flame
It was my birthday tonight,
I wish I had been able to catch it
If I caught it .. unrestrained … free.
There were no candles.
Nor singing.
Not even a discordant note amidst the song—
yet, I was happy.
There was no mirror,
to gaze at and notice,
the creeping whites in my beard,
for whom the blacks,
slowly yielded, defeated.
My beloved walks in, saying:
“Why the grim face?
smile, my dear,
It’s a party”
But there was no party.
No smiling faces.
No star falling from the sky,
to make way for a wish,
in my innocent heart.
And there was no journey on the road.
No barge to the shoulder,
after a wink from a friend:
"there’s an angel there, waiting for someone to keep her company."
He said, "Go on, make your move.
get up and go to her;
be bold."
But the truth is...
Nothing happened.
It was a night like all others,
except that...
when it ended,
things stirred—
very old things
I thought they long passed and gone.
Among them:
hope that failed me.
Me, who thought
I had lost the very last bit of it,
on the doorstep of the last prison.
Hope failed me.
A childish frustration,
for not receiving wonderful gifts.
For all gifts are wonderful.
And at not hearing,
everyone’s compliments,
about how the time that has passed
pales in comparison to what is yet to come;
and how there is still so much to life—
things perhaps fated since the dawn of time,
and no one shall ever have them, but me;
and how I am a thousand years younger
than that number suggests,
with a thousand years of life ahead of me;
and all that echoes.. these very thoughts.
It was a night that passed anyway,
not a word spoken.
Oh, little child—
Who else but me, my friend...
would be astonished
at how small you are,
and that you are safe and sound?
The night passed—my little one— quietly
bringing sorrow, yes,
but a silent and quiet sorrow.
Yet as for me...
my heart has been gnawed by the years.
Don't drag me along with you.
A year from tonight—
or a few years after that—
it will be a time,
and a place...
...that won’t be here.
There will be smiling faces,
and a star descending from the sky,
to make way for a wish,
in my innocent heart.
There will be a path
With fresh footsteps—
steps we never took.
And then...
an empty old frame
may be filled by
a memory
we never lived.
---
Translated from Arabic original by Mina Thabet, Head of MENA Region at PEN International
يوم ميالدى
لجالل البحيري
الن صٌفاتٌ
النصٌماتٌ
النصٌعديٌمابينٌصوابعي منٌسكات
بدونٌماٌأٌدركٌملمسهٌ
واتنفسهٌ
النصٌماتٌ
مشٌباقيٌمنهٌغيرٌسرابٌ
فيٌمراية الروحٌفيٌالجسدٌ
في زمان بيحفرنيٌفيٌأناة
وكأني شاهدٌمقبرةٌ
نصهٌأكتملٌ
نصهٌاتعملٌ
أماٌاللىٌباقيٌدليلٌمؤكد
علىٌاللىٌماتٌ
----------
ودىٌليلهٌتشبهٌاللياليٌكلهاٌ
لمٌتختلفٌ
إالٌفيٌسوادٌلونهاٌالعميقٌ
وأبوابٌزنازنٌ
كالزنازنٌنفسهاٌ
الٌتتسع
إالٌعلشانٌترجعٌتضيقٌ
وده حلمٌتانىٌ
مابينٌصوابعيٌبيحترقٌ
جوه الضلوع..... مرٌالحريق
كانٌعيدٌميالدٌيٌالليلةٌ
كانٌنفسيٌالحلقه
لوٌحٌالحلقهٌ
حرٌطليق
والٌكانٌشموع
والٌكانٌغنا
والٌصوتٌنشازٌوسطٌالغنا
لكنٌسعيد
والٌكانٌمراية..ٌ
حٌابصٌفيهاٌواكتشف
زحفٌالبياضٌعٌالدقن
بشويشٌوانهزم
لجلهٌالسوادٌ
تدخلٌحبيبتيٌتقول
مكشرٌليهٌكده
اضحكٌياٌوادٌ
ديٌالليلةٌعيد!ٌ
فٌماٌكانشٌعيد
والٌكانٌوجوهٌمتبسمةٌ
والٌنجمٌساقطٌمنٌالسماٌ
بيسبٌمكانهٌألمنيةٌ
فٌقلبيٌالبريءٌ
والٌكانٌفيهٌرحلةٌعلىٌالطريقٌ
والٌكتفٌجامد
بعدٌغمزةٌمنٌصديق
"ومالكٌهناكٌمستنيٌحدٌيونسه"ٌ
قالٌياٌمعلمٌخطوتك
قومٌروحٌلها
خليكٌجريء
أماٌالحقيقةٌإنهاٌ..
ماٌحصلشٌشيءٌ
كانتٌليلةٌتشبهٌللياليٌكلهاٌ
غيرٌإنهاٌ...
لماٌانتهتٌ
اتحركتٌ..ٌ
أشياءٌقديمةٌقديمةٌ
كنتٌبظنهاٌ
راحتٌوعدىٌوقتها
منٌضمنهاٌ
خانيٌاالملٌ
أناٌيالليٌفاكرٌ
إنٌآخرٌحبةٌمنهٌفقدتهم
علىٌعتبةٌالسجنٌاألخير
خاننيٌاالمل
إحباطٌطفوليٌمنٌعدم
نيلٌالهداياٌالمدهشةٌ
كلٌالهداياٌمدهشة
ومنٌعدمٌ
سماعٌمجامالتٌالجميع
عنٌأدٌإيه كلٌالليٌعدىٌمنٌزمنٌ
الٌيحتسبٌجنبٌالليٌجاي
وبإنهٌلسهٌفيٌالحياة أشياءٌكثيرٌ
مرصودةٌيمكن م األزل
ولنٌينالها فٌيومٌسوايٌ
وبإنيٌاصغرٌمنٌالرقمٌده
بألفٌعام
وبأنيٌلسهٌباقيليٌمده فيٌالحياةٌ
ييجيٌألفٌعام
وماٌيشابه....
كلٌهذاٌمنٌالكالم
كانتٌليلةٌمرتٌوالسالم
والٌ....كالم
ياٌأيهاٌالطفلٌالصغيرٌ
مينٌالليٌغيريٌياٌصديقيٌ..
مٌيندهش..
إنكٌصغيرٌ
وانكٌبخيرٌ
الليةٌمرتٌياٌصغري
منٌسكاتٌ
فيٌاحزانٌولكنٌ
حزنٌهاديٌومنٌسكاتٌ
لكنٌأنا...
أناٌقلبيٌعضاهٌالسنينٌ
ماٌتشدينيشٌوياكٌ
زيٌالليلةٌديٌكمانٌسنة
أوٌبعدهٌمنهاٌبكامٌسنة
حٌيكونٌزمان
ويكونٌمكانٌ
وماهوشٌهناٌ..ٌ
وتكونٌوجوهٌمتبسمة
وفيهٌنجمٌنازلٌمنٌالسماٌ
بيسيبٌمكانهٌ
ألمنيةٌقلبيٌالبرئٌ
ويكونٌطريقٌ
فيهٌخطاويٌبكرٌ
ماخدناهاشٌ
وساعتهاٌ...ٌ
ممكنٌيتملي...
بروازٌقديم
لذكريٌفاضيةٌ
معشناهاش
