Love is possible and your Child will
Crawl soon – so why does War Recur?²
The day I’m Killed, my Killer will find
Tickets in my pocket: one to Peace, one
To Fields & Rain, and one to Humanity’s
Conscience – I beg you, you who Kill me,
Please do not Waste them – I beg you: Go³
If the War Knocks – say he’s taking a Rest⁴
Peace upon Tomorrow’s Children who will
Reach adulthood without witnessing Massacres⁵
We still have Bits of Country left in our Hands,
So Rest awhile – lest we Lose what Remains⁶
His Mother’s Blood Watered the Olive Tree⁷
I never carry a Rifle on my shoulder or Pull
A Trigger – all I have is a Lute’s Melody, a
Brush to paint my Dreams, a bottle of Ink⁸
A Soldier’s cap lies happily among the
Grasshoppers, Pebbles and Roses⁹
Do not be Surprised to see Roses
Shoulder up among the Ruins of
A house: this is how we Survive¹⁰
¹ Mahmoud Darwish tr. Akash & Forché, Mural
² Ahmad Dahbour tr. L. Jayyusi & Reed, The Sparrow Told Me
³ Samih al-Qasim tr. Nazih Kassis, Tickets
⁴ Ghassan Zaqtan tr. Fady Joudah, Pillow
⁵ Rasim al-Madhoun tr. Elmusa & Nye, Peace Be Upon
⁶ Ibrahim Tuqan tr. Salma Khadra Jayyusi, Lest We Lose
⁷ Nadera Mushtaha, The Child and the Olive Tree
⁸ Tawfiq Zayyad tr. Elmusa & Doria, All I Have
⁹ Liyana Badr tr. Clark & Tingley, A Land of Rock and Thyme
¹⁰ Mosab Abu Toha, A Rose Shoulders Up