moqawama

Jerusalem is Arab Nationalism’s Bride

النص العربي: لا يوجد

Excerpts from the fiery poem: -

Oh my country, exhibited at the market as a morning star

They are lamenting you in the night brothels

And some revolutionaries are perfecting their manhood

Joggling at the [noise of the] drum and trumpet

Those are your enemies, my country

Who sold Palestine other than your enemies, O my country?

Who by God, sold Palestine and accumulated a wealth

Other than the list of beggars at the ruler’s thresholds

And at the Great Powers’ tables?

***

As soon as the night put on its veils

***

The cups crack avowing Jerusalem is your Arab Nationalism’s Bride

***

Ahlan(welcome)…Ahlan(welcome)

Who sold Palestine other than the pen’s revolutionaries?

I have sworn by the bottlenecks of wine, though the cup full only of Poison

And by this indigested revolutionary by the sea-oysters

In Beirut

Building a big belly till he lost his neck

I have sworn by the history of starvation and the day of famine

Not a single Arab would ever last if we remained at this

Predicament

Among the profiteering rulers

***

Jerusalem is the bride of your Arab Nationalism

Why you brought in her room all the night’s adulterers

And you remained behind the doors eavesdropping

Hearing the screams of her virginity

Then you drew all your daggers, bragging

Yelling at her to hush lest her honor is blemished

(IV-letter-word)

I am not shy when I speak out frankly of your reality

That a yard of hogs is much cleaner than all of you

May the bench of washing the dead move,

But you are immovable

Now I expose/undress you

In all the capitals of this Arab World

You have killed my gaiety

In every alley I see al-Azlam (the idols) Amami (before me)

Till I became avoiding even the phone

Even the walls and even the children

Vomiting for this crude method

***

Let us sit before the feet of the Arabian Desert

To let her pass a judgment on us

I admit before the Desert

That I am a banal, scoundrel and sad

As your defeat

O defeated honorable men

O defeated rulers

O defeated people

How dirty, how dirty, how dirty we are.

How dirty we are,

I don’t exclude any one.