The Wrathful
A poem by Nizar Qabbani
O pupils of Gaza...Teach us...
A little of what you have
For we have forgotten...
Teach us...
To be men
For we have men...
dough they become...
Teach us...
How the rocks become
in the children's hands,
precious diamond...
How it becomes
The child's bicycle, a mine
And the silk ribbon...
An ambush...
How the feeding bottle nipple...
If detained not
Turns into a knife....
O pupils of Gaza
Care not...
about our broadcasts...
And hear us not...
Strike...
Strike...
With all your powers
And firmly in your hands take matters
And ask us not...
We the people of arithmetic...
And of addition...
And of subtraction...
Your wars do carry on
And abstain from us...
We're the deserters
from the service,
Your ropes do bring
And hang us...
We're mortals...
Who possess not tombs
And orphans...
who possess not masters
We kept already to our rooms...
And we asked you
To fight the dragon...
We've diminished, before you
A thousand century...
And you've grown
Within a month-Centuries...
O pupils of Gaza...
Return not...
To our writings... And read us not
We're your fathers...
Do resemble us not...
We're your idols...
Do worship us not...
We engage in
Political lies...
And repression...
And we build graves...
And jails...
Liberate us...
From the fear problem in us...
And expel
The opium from our heads...
Teach us...
The art of adherence to the Land,
And leave not...
The Messiah saddened...
O our beloved children
Salam...
May Allah render your day
Jasmine....
From the cracks of ruined earth
You emerged forth
And planted in our wound
Musk rose...
This is the revolution of notebooks...
And ink...
Do become on the lips
melodies...
Shower us...
Heroism, and pride
And from our ugliness wash us
Wash us...
Fear neither Moses...
Nor Moses' spell...
And ready yourself
To harvest the olives
Verily this Jewish age
is an illusion...
That shall collapse...
Albeit sureness we possess....
O madmen of Gaza...
A thousand welcome....
in madmen,
If they liberate us
Verily the age of political reason
has long bygone....
Do teach us madness....