DUBAI // His poetry is well known across the Arab world, and now German speakers will have the opportunity to read some of the original work of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid. A selection of poems by Sheikh Mohammed, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has been translated as part of a project led by the German poet Joachim Sartorius, the state news agency, WAM, reported yesterday.
Poetry from around the world will be translated into German by a team headed by Mr Sartorius, chairman of the Berlin Literary Festival and known for his work as a translator of American literature. Two prominent German-Arabic speakers translated the anthology of Sheikh Mohammed's poems, which will be published in Munich, according to WAM. Many of Sheikh Mohammed's poems are already available in English, including those in an anthology entitled Poems from the Desert.
"Sheikh Mohammed reveals his passions, but tempers them with justice and tolerance," WAM quoted Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist, as saying about the poems. "Writing is an act of courage. But it's worth taking the risk and His Highness's poems help us to understand better the soul of a man and the heritage of a nation." newsdesk@thenational.ae
