' (, ), also known as Ela Toghat Al Alaam, is a

poem Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...

written in the early 1900s by the Tunisian poet

Aboul-Qacem Echebbi Aboul-Qacem Echebbi ( ar, أبو القاسم الشابي, ; 24 February 1909 – 9 October 1934) was a Tunisian poet. He is probably best known for writing the final two verses of the current National Anthem of Tunisia, ''Humat al-Hima'' (''De ...

during the

French conquest of Tunisia The French conquest of Tunisia occurred in two phases in 1881: the first (28 April – 12 May) consisting of the invasion and securing of the country before the signing of a treaty of protection, and the second (10 June – 28 October) consisting ...

. It's also a

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

and a

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

produced in the year 2002, during the

second Intifada The Second Intifada ( ar, الانتفاضة الثانية, ; he, האינתיפאדה השנייה, ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada ( ar, انتفاضة الأقصى, label=none, '), was a major Palestinian uprising against Israel. ...

, by the Tunisian vocalist

Latifa Latifa or Lateefa is a feminine Arabic (لٓطِيفٓة) given name which means "gentle" or "pleasant". It corresponds to the masculine Latif. Notable persons Lateefa * Lateefa Al Gaood, Bahraini politician * Lateefah Simon, American activist ...

who sung the poem and dedicated it to

Ariel Sharon Ariel Sharon (; ; ; also known by his diminutive Arik, , born Ariel Scheinermann, ; 26 February 1928 – 11 January 2014) was an Israeli general and politician who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Israel from March 2001 until April 2006. S ...

and

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

English translation

Hark! You tyrannous dictator,
lover of darkness, enemy of life.
You mocked the cries of the weak,
and your palm is stained with their blood.
You set out tarnishing the enchantment of existence,
sowing the thorns of anguish among the hills.

Slow down! Let not the Spring deceive you,
nor the serenity of the sky, nor the glow of the morning.
For in the vast horizon lurks the power of darkness,
the bombardment of thunder, and the raging of winds.
Beware! Under the ashes burns the flame,
and he who sows the thorns harvests the wounds.

Think! Whenever you reap
the heads of men and the flowers of hope,
wherever you water the heart of the earth with blood
and inebriate it with tears,
the flood will carry you away, the torrent of blood,
and the burning rage will consume you.

Verse translation

Imperious despot, insolent in strife,
Lover of ruin, enemy of life!
You mock the anguish of an impotent land
Whose people's blood has stained your tyrant hand,
And desecrate the magic of this earth,
sowing your thorns, to bring despair to birth, Patience! Let not the Spring delude you now,
The morning light, the skies’ unclouded brow;
Fear gathers in the broad horizon's murk
Where winds are rising, and deep thunders lurk;
When the weak weeps, receive him not with scorn—
Who soweth thorns, shall not his flesh be torn? Wait! Where you thought to reap the lives of men,
The flowers of hope, never to bloom again,
Where you have soaked the furrows’ heart with blood,
Drenched them with tears, until they overflowed,
A gale of flame shall suddenly consume,
A bloody torrent sweep you to your doom!Arthur John Arberry, Modern Arabic Poetry: An Anthology with English Verse Translations, Cambridge University Press, 1967

Original text

ألا أيها الظالم المستبد حبيب الظلام عدو الحياه سخرت بأنات شعب ضعيف و كفك مخضوبة من دماه و سرت تشوه سحر الوجود و تبذر شوك الاسى في رباه رويدك لا يخدعنك الربيع و صحو الفضاء و ضوء الصباح ففي الافق الرحب هول الظلام و قصف الرعود و عصف الرياح حذار فتحت الرماد اللهيب و من يبذر الشوك يجن الجراح تأمل هنالك انى حصدت رؤوس الورى و زهور الأمل و رويت بالدم قلب التراب اشربته الدمع حتى ثمل سيجرفك سيل الدماء و يأكلك العاصف المشتعل

References

{{Reflist Arabic poems Tunisian literature