From Khartoum with Love

Dusty big city with untold stories,
Three sprawls under one dome,
Home to miskin people with the kindest hearts,
Living in constant fear and unfreedom;
Side by side with the arrogance of power-
Among hypocrites in an ivory tower!-
O, Khartoum, the melting pot for all,
That calls Sudan a home, I find,
You equally welcome the corrupt soul,
And the beautifulest souls of humankind.
From the "raqshas" in Ummdurman,
To the "sheya beyts" in Bahri,
And the beautiful beaches of mighty Nile,
In Naji's "own country";
From the bureaucracies of Khartoum proper,
To the hearty smiles of friends and kin,
Old and new, in solidarity of hope,
For the distressed and the miskin;
I loved living with you in fears,
And now I bid you "so long!" in tears.