Pity The Nation by Khalil Gibran
- Thread starter Waseem
- Start date
[h=2]“Pity The Nation” by Khalil Gibran[/h]
This a poem by Khalil Gibran, a Lebanese America poet/writer. From it’s title, you may already have deduced what it is: a poem indicating the characteristics of a pitiful nation…
What made me publish this poem on artsyHANDS is how, coincidentally, we as a nation can relate to the qualities mentioned by Gibran.
They say good poetry is timeless. Khalil wrote this early in the 1900s (published in 1933 in The Garden of the Prophet) and it almost seems like it was written today for Pakistan’s current situation!
My uncle, Saad Altaf, specially asked for this to be published on artsy.
Read on ahead why Saad so specially asked for this to be published!
[h=2][/h][h=2]Pity The Nation…[/h]Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of religion.
Pity the nation that wears a cloth it does not weave,
eats a bread it does not harvest,
and drinks a wine that flows not from its own wine-press.
Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as hero,
and that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful.
Pity a nation that despises a passion in its dream,
yet submits in its awakening.
Pity the nation that raises not its voice
save when it walks in a funeral,
boasts not except among its ruins,
and will rebel not save when its neck is laid
between the sword and the block.
Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox,
whose philosopher is a juggler,
and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking.
Pity the nation that welcomes its new ruler with trumpeting,
and farewells him with hooting,
only to welcome another with trumpeting again.
Pity the nation whose sages are dumb with years
and whose strong men are yet in the cradle.
Pity the nation divided into into fragments,
each fragment deeming itself a nation
–
So, did you make the connection between the nation Khalil based his poem on: Lebanon/Syria and Pakistan?
This a poem by Khalil Gibran, a Lebanese America poet/writer. From it’s title, you may already have deduced what it is: a poem indicating the characteristics of a pitiful nation…
What made me publish this poem on artsyHANDS is how, coincidentally, we as a nation can relate to the qualities mentioned by Gibran.
They say good poetry is timeless. Khalil wrote this early in the 1900s (published in 1933 in The Garden of the Prophet) and it almost seems like it was written today for Pakistan’s current situation!
My uncle, Saad Altaf, specially asked for this to be published on artsy.
Read on ahead why Saad so specially asked for this to be published!
[h=2][/h][h=2]Pity The Nation…[/h]Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of religion.
Pity the nation that wears a cloth it does not weave,
eats a bread it does not harvest,
and drinks a wine that flows not from its own wine-press.
Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as hero,
and that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful.
Pity a nation that despises a passion in its dream,
yet submits in its awakening.
Pity the nation that raises not its voice
save when it walks in a funeral,
boasts not except among its ruins,
and will rebel not save when its neck is laid
between the sword and the block.
Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox,
whose philosopher is a juggler,
and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking.
Pity the nation that welcomes its new ruler with trumpeting,
and farewells him with hooting,
only to welcome another with trumpeting again.
Pity the nation whose sages are dumb with years
and whose strong men are yet in the cradle.
Pity the nation divided into into fragments,
each fragment deeming itself a nation
–
So, did you make the connection between the nation Khalil based his poem on: Lebanon/Syria and Pakistan?
desan
President (40k+ posts)
Could not have done a better job in
translating this great piece....
He probably composed it for us!!!
Bani Adam
Senator (1k+ posts)
When we come to you
Our rags are torn off us
And you listen all over our naked body.
As to the cause of our illness
One glance at our rags would
Tell you more. It is the same cause that wears out
Our bodies and our clothes.
The pain in our shoulder comes
You say, from the damp; and this is also the reason
For the stain on the wall of our flat.
So tell us:
Where does the damp come from?
-- “A Worker’s Speech to a Doctor” by Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956)
Our rags are torn off us
And you listen all over our naked body.
As to the cause of our illness
One glance at our rags would
Tell you more. It is the same cause that wears out
Our bodies and our clothes.
The pain in our shoulder comes
You say, from the damp; and this is also the reason
For the stain on the wall of our flat.
So tell us:
Where does the damp come from?
-- “A Worker’s Speech to a Doctor” by Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956)
handsome.ebi
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Qabil e reham qoum khalil jibran ki nazar mein...
qaabil-e-raHm hai vo qaum jis ke paas 'aqeede to bohot haiN magar dil yaqiiN se Khaalii hai
qaabil-e-raHm hai vo qaum jo aise kapRe pahentii hai
jiske liye kapaas unke apne khetoN ne paidaa nahiiN kii
qaabil-e-raHm hai vo qaum jo baateN banaane waale ko apnaa sab kuchh samajh letii hai
aur chamaktii huii talwaar se bane thaane faateH ko apnaa an-daataa samajh letii hai
qaabil-e-raHm hai vo qaum jo ba_zaahir Khowaab kii Haalat meN bhii hawas aur laalach se nafrat kartii hai
magar 'aalam-e-be_daarii meN mafaad parastii ko apnaa she'aar banaa letii hai
qaabil-e-raHm hai vo qaum jo janaazoN ke juluusoN ke sivaa kahiiN aur apni aawaaz baland nahiiN kartii
aur, maazii kii yaadoN ke sivaa uske paas faKhr karne kaa koii saamaan nahiiN hotaa
vo us waqt tak soorat-e-Haal ke KHilaaf iHtijaaj nahiiN kartii
jab tak uskii gardan ai'n talwaar ke neeche nahiiN aa jaatii
aur, qaabil-e-raHm hai vo qaum jis ke naam_nihaad siyaasat_daaN lomRiyoN kii taraH makkar aur dhoke_baaz hoN
aur, jiske daanishwar mahez sho'bda_baaz aur madaarii
aur qabil e reham hai wo qoum jo apnay naye hukmaraan ko dhol baja ker khushamdeed kehti hai aur jab wo iqtadar se mehroom hon to unn per awazain kasnay lagti hai;
aur, qaabil-e-raHm hai vo qaum jiske ahl-e-'ilm o daanish waqt kii gardish meN gooNge bahre ho kar rah gaye haiN
qaabil-e-raHm hai vo qaum jo TukRoN meN baT chukii ho aur jiskaa har tabqa apne aapko poorii qaum samajhtaa ho
qaabil-e-raHm hai vo qaum jis ke paas 'aqeede to bohot haiN magar dil yaqiiN se Khaalii hai
qaabil-e-raHm hai vo qaum jo aise kapRe pahentii hai
jiske liye kapaas unke apne khetoN ne paidaa nahiiN kii
qaabil-e-raHm hai vo qaum jo baateN banaane waale ko apnaa sab kuchh samajh letii hai
aur chamaktii huii talwaar se bane thaane faateH ko apnaa an-daataa samajh letii hai
qaabil-e-raHm hai vo qaum jo ba_zaahir Khowaab kii Haalat meN bhii hawas aur laalach se nafrat kartii hai
magar 'aalam-e-be_daarii meN mafaad parastii ko apnaa she'aar banaa letii hai
qaabil-e-raHm hai vo qaum jo janaazoN ke juluusoN ke sivaa kahiiN aur apni aawaaz baland nahiiN kartii
aur, maazii kii yaadoN ke sivaa uske paas faKhr karne kaa koii saamaan nahiiN hotaa
vo us waqt tak soorat-e-Haal ke KHilaaf iHtijaaj nahiiN kartii
jab tak uskii gardan ai'n talwaar ke neeche nahiiN aa jaatii
aur, qaabil-e-raHm hai vo qaum jis ke naam_nihaad siyaasat_daaN lomRiyoN kii taraH makkar aur dhoke_baaz hoN
aur, jiske daanishwar mahez sho'bda_baaz aur madaarii
aur qabil e reham hai wo qoum jo apnay naye hukmaraan ko dhol baja ker khushamdeed kehti hai aur jab wo iqtadar se mehroom hon to unn per awazain kasnay lagti hai;
aur, qaabil-e-raHm hai vo qaum jiske ahl-e-'ilm o daanish waqt kii gardish meN gooNge bahre ho kar rah gaye haiN
qaabil-e-raHm hai vo qaum jo TukRoN meN baT chukii ho aur jiskaa har tabqa apne aapko poorii qaum samajhtaa ho
Last edited:
handsome.ebi
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Khalil Jibrab yh sab 100 sal pahle kah gya tha..
lakin lagta ha ke woh abhi bath kar hamari qoom ke bare me likh raha ho, ic ka aik aik lafz hamari qoom per sahi sabit hota ha
lakin lagta ha ke woh abhi bath kar hamari qoom ke bare me likh raha ho, ic ka aik aik lafz hamari qoom per sahi sabit hota ha
Star Gazer
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Re: Qabil e reham qoum khalil jibran ki nazar mein...
Koi bhe parha likha yahee kehay ga, Khaleel Jibran mash-hoor ho gaya, bus!
Koi bhe parha likha yahee kehay ga, Khaleel Jibran mash-hoor ho gaya, bus!
Bani Adam
Senator (1k+ posts)
~~another version~~
PITY THE NATION
Lawrence Ferlinghetti (After Kahlil Gibran)
Pity the nation whose people are sheep
And whose shepherds mislead them
Pity the nation whose leaders are liars
Whose sages are silenced
And whose bigots haunt the airwaves
Pity the nation that raises not its voice
Except to praise conquerors
And acclaim the bully as hero
And aims to rule the world
By force and by torture
Pity the nation that knows
No other language but its own
And no other culture but its own
Pity the nation whose breath is money
And sleeps the sleep of the too well fed
Pity the nation oh pity the people
who allow their rights to erode
and their freedoms to be washed away
My country, tears of thee
Sweet land of liberty!
“Pity the Nation” A Poem for our Time by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
PITY THE NATION
Lawrence Ferlinghetti (After Kahlil Gibran)
Pity the nation whose people are sheep
And whose shepherds mislead them
Pity the nation whose leaders are liars
Whose sages are silenced
And whose bigots haunt the airwaves
Pity the nation that raises not its voice
Except to praise conquerors
And acclaim the bully as hero
And aims to rule the world
By force and by torture
Pity the nation that knows
No other language but its own
And no other culture but its own
Pity the nation whose breath is money
And sleeps the sleep of the too well fed
Pity the nation oh pity the people
who allow their rights to erode
and their freedoms to be washed away
My country, tears of thee
Sweet land of liberty!
“Pity the Nation” A Poem for our Time by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
