Captain Afework Yohannes (1927-1980) was an Ethiopian journalist, radio presenter, and lyric writer known for his short stories, plays, and reporting on scientific topics. He was particularly known for his lyrical poems and songs of love, which found a larger audience when the poems were put to music and sung by singers like Tilahun Gessesse, Mahmoud Ahmed. The following poem, She is the Only Beauty was translated from the original text, Amharic into English by the former Ethiopian ambassador to Mexico, Gaitachew Bekele, and was originally published in the MEXICO QUARTERLY REVIEW VOLUME 3, 1969. The rendering was “presented in memory of a lovely being, Belaynesh Bekele, 1941-1969”, who was among the three persons tragically killed when an Ethiopian employee at the Mexico Embassy went on a shooting rampage on March 18, 1969.

Let her parade the whole floor of the hall
It is meet that beauty should be seen by all.
Let her sit at ease in the finest chair;
and charm us with her laughter flashing there.
Let her dress in rarest silk and white,
for everyone to see her graceful height.
Let her wreathe her arms with bands of gold,
that the virtue lying in the mines be told.
Unnoticed on her luster let it float.

Let her rest in flowers on the green.
Her bloom is more than those she lies between.
Let her walk out when the moon is bright,
that we may see her splendor by its light.
Her singing is a marvel to be heard
and clearer than the song of any bird.
Let her taste delight in all her ways.
She is the only place where beauty stays.
As long as there is no one of her measure, let her take in every way her