To the Tyrants of the World

Ela Tughat Al Aalam (To the Tyrants of the World ) is an old Arabic poem written by Tunisian poet Abdul Qasim Alshabi. It's what Arab protesters in Tunisia and Egypt have been using as their slogans and chants. It's powerful and beautiful.

إلى طغاة العالم

ألاّ أيّهــــا الظـــالمُ المســـتبِدُّ حــبيبُ الظــلامِ, عــدوّ الحيــاه

ســخرتَ بأنّــات شـعبٍ ضعيـفٍ وكــفُّك مخضوبــةٌ مــن دمــاه

وســرتَ تُشــوِّه سِــحْرَ الوجـودِ وتبــذرُ شــوكَ الأسـى فـي رُبـاهْ

رُوَيـــدَك! لا يخــدعنْك الــربيعُ وصحـوُ الفضـاء, وضـوءُ الصبـاحْ

ففـي الأفُـقِ الرحـبِ هـولُ الظـلام وقصـفُ الرعـودِ, وعصـفُ الريـاحْ

حــذارِ! فتحــت الرمــادِ اللهيـبُ ومـن يبـذرِ الشـوك يجـنِ الجـراحْ

تــأمل! هنــالك.. أنّــى حـصدتَ رؤوسَ الــوَرَى, وزهــورَ الأمـلْ

ورويَّــت بــالدمِ قلــبَ الــترابِ وأشْــربتَه الــدمعَ, حــتى ثمِــلْ

ســيجرفُكَ الســيلُ, سـيلُ الدمـاءِ ويـــأكلُك العـــاصفُ المشــتعِلْ

 

 

To the Tyrants of the World

Unjust tyrant , lover of the darkness , enemy of life
You have mocked the wounds of the weak people

Your palm is stained with their blood
You distorted the charm of existence

And planted the seeds of sorrow in the fields

Wait, don't let the spring, the clearness of the sky

and the morning light fool you
For on the horizon lies the horror of darkness

rumble of thunder and blowing of winds

Beware, underneath the ash there is fire

And he who sows thorns reaps wounds

Look there, for I have harvested the heads of mankind
and the flowers of hope

And I watered with blood the heart of the earth

I drenched it with tears until it was drunk

The river of blood will sweep you
And the burning storm will devour you