On Wishes

On Wishes

Mahmoud Darwish Translated by: Denys Johnson-Davies/The Music of Human Flesh. Don’t say to me:        Would I were a seller of bread in Algiers        That I might sing with a rebel. Don’t say to me:        Would I were a herdsman in the Yemen        They I might sing to the shudderings of time. Don’t say to me:        Would I were a café waiter in Havana        That I might sing to the victories of sorrowing women. Don’t say to me:        Would I worked as a young labourer in Aswan        That I might sing to the rocks. My friend, The Nile will not flow into the Volga, Nor the Congo or the Jordan into the Euphrates. Each river has its source, it’s course, its life. My friend our land has its time for being born, Each dawn a date with rebel.                   Zajel / An-Najah National University