On Man

On Man

Mahmoud Darwish Translated by: Denys Johnson-Davies/The Music of Human Flesh. They gagged his mouth, Bound his hands to the rock of the dead And said: Murderer! They took his food, clothes and banners, Cast him into the condemned cell And said: thief! They drove him away from every port, Took his young sweetheart, Then said: Refugee! O you with bloodshot eyes and bloody hands, Night is short-lived, The detention room lasts not for ever, Nor yet the links of chains. Nero died, Rome did not: With her very eyes she fights. And seeds from a withered ear With wheat shall fill the valley.   Zajel / An-Najah National University