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Muhammad Harbi is an Egyptian poet and journalist. He is the senior editor of the cultural and literary sections of Al-Ahram newspaper, a leading Arab daily based in Cairo. Born in a small village in the northern part of the Nile delta in 1961, Harbi moved to Cairo to study journalism and media. He holds a degree in mass communication from Cairo University. Even though he started composing poetry in high school, Harbi emerged as a major published poet later in life, publishing his first collection of poetry at the age of fifty. His poetry has repeatedly been lauded for its deep and reflective connection to the natural world and geo-aesthetic sensibility. Harbi’s published collections include three Arabic books of poetry, “By the Sand as it Seduces,” “Seventeen Years to Catch a Cloud,” and “Upon a Shadow I Trod,” the last of which is the source for these translations. Harbi’s forthcoming work includes three more books of poetry, “Alone, I Set Off with My Book,” “A Diary of a Retired Demon,” and “A Balcony for Seduction.” In addition, Harbi has written and produced numerous documentaries in collaboration with his wife, Maha Shahbah, a journalist and filmmaker.