‘Rebellion of Silence’: New Work by Poet-on-trial Dareen Tatour

Today marks two years since Dareen Tatour was arrested, the case against her built against a poem she’d posted on social medial. Jewish Voice for Peace has launched a new video marking these two years, and Andrew Leber has translated one of Tatour’s new poems.

After two years of imprisonment, house arrest, and different stages of her trial, Tatour awaits the verdict, set to be announced on October 17, 2017, in the court in Nazareth.

Rebellion of Silence

By Dareen Tatour

Trans. Andrew Leber

 

Before my body was torn to pieces

How naïve was I!

 

I would want to fly,

Fall love with poetry,

Devote myself to love,

Dream of a table to call my own…

 

Yet after light forced its way in

With the laughter of dawn,

I fell silent –

Filled with anger –

As dreams were dashed,

And the silence broken,

And the flames consumed me!

 

They stole my very shadow,

Wiped away the innocence of childhood,

Killed my white dove,

And despite myself

Hatred welled up inside me.

 

No longer am I naïve.

I became like one on the verge of death –

Blue –

Like the anger of the waves.

I broken my silence,

Only for bitterness to build a settlement in my heart!

 

They saw me explode!

I hope to light the world aflame!

I want to stab the criminal…

No longer am I naïve.

 

Mountains of night passed by

As I boil over

Asking

Why am I no longer a shrinking violet?

 

Those ghosts that haunt me fled in mere seconds!

Why did they break the wings of such a small bird?

 

I shook off the dust,

And as I waited for my time to come,

I searched for something lost.

Like the mental files of my memories…

 

And when I’d see a child’s smile,

Cross stream starting to flow again

Spot a flower starting to bloom…

I came back to my senses.

 

After everything left me,

There was nothing left of me

But the naivete of my past

And a warm smile.

 

With it, I embrace the world,

As though it were my father.

I greet all creation

Hugging the good together with the bad.

I hug the world close,

Like a pillow in my arms,

Like my mother used to hug me,

Without ever showing

That I am tired.

Paying no attention to my tears as they pour out…

 

And I die.

As my heart beats out its last reflections,

On all I have done

And everything I had desired

And all I had dreamed of…

 

It was the hatred

That was the first thing to rot

From my soul.

تَـمَرُّدُ السُّكون

قَبْلَ نَهْشِ جَسَدي..

كُنْتُ ساذِجَةً..!

 

أَتَـمَنَّى الطَّيَرانَ..

أَعْشَقُ الشِّعْرَ..

وَأُدْمِنُ الْـحُبَّ..

وَأَحْلُمُ بِمَـائِدَةٍ دَائِمَةٍ..

وَبَعْدَ اغْتِصابِ النُّورِ..

مِنْ ضَحْكَةِ الْفَجْرِ..

أَصْبَحْتُ صَامِتَةً..

مُلِّئْتُ بِالْغَضَبْ..

بَعْدَ وَأْدِ الْأَحْلامِ..

وَتَدْميرِ السُّكونِ..

اِجْتاحَني اللَّهَبْ..!

سَلَبوا ظِلِّي..

بَدَّدوا بَراءَةَ الطُّفولَةِ

قَتَلوا حَـمـامَتي الْبَيْضاءَ..

وَغَصْبًا عَنِّي..

بِتُّ كَالْـحَطَبْ..

طَفَحْتُ كَرَاهِيَةً..

وَلَـمْ أَعُدْ ساذِجَةً..

أَصْبَحْتُ كَحَدِّ الْـمَوْتِ..

زَرْقاءَ..

كَغَضَبِ الْـمَوْجْ..

كَسَّرْتُ الصَّمْتْ..

فَاسْتَوطَنَتِ الْقَلْبَ الْـمَرارَةُ..!

رَأَوْنـي أَنْفَجِرْ..!

أَتَـمَنَّى حَرْقَ الْعالَـمْ..!

أَتَـمَنَّى طَعْنَ الْـمُجْرِمْ..

وَلَـمْ أَعُدْ ساذِجَةً…!

جِبالٌ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ مَرَّتْ

وَأَنا أَغْلي..

أَتَساءَلُ..

كَيْفَ ضاعَ مِنِّي خَجَلُ السَّوْسَنَهْ..؟!

 

وَتاهَتْ بَيْنَ الثَّنايا أَطْيافـي الْعابِرَهْ..!

لِـمَ كَسَّروا أَجْنِحَةَ الْعَصْفورَةِ الصَّغيرَهْ..؟!

نَفَضْتُ الْغُبارَ…

وَأَنا أَنْتَظِرُ عُهودي الْبَطيئَةَ..

أَبْحَثُ عَنْ شَيْءٍ مَفْقودٍ..

كَأَوْراقِ ذِكْرَياتـي الْبالِيَهْ..

وَحينَ رَأَيْتُ ابْتِسامَةَ طِفْلٍ..

وَصادَفَني أَوَّلُ جَدْوَلٍ..

وَشاهَدْتُ زَهْرَةً مُتَفَتِّحَهْ…

عُدْتُ…

بَعْدَ أَنْ غادَرَنـي كُلُّ شَيْءٍ…

حَيْثُ لَـمْ يَبْقَ مِنِّي سِوى..

سَذَاجَةٌ ماضِيَهْ..

وَابْتِسامَةٌ حَـميمَهْ..

أُعانِقُ الْعالَـمَ بِها..

كَأَنَّهُ أَبـي..

وَأُصافِحُ الْـمَخْلوقاتِ كُلَّهَا..

وَأَحْضُنُ الْأَخْيارَ وَالْأَشْرارَ..

أَحْضُنُ الدُّنْيا..

كَأَنَّها الْوِسادَهْ..

وَكَأَنَّها حِضْنُ أُمِّي..

دُونَ أَنْ يَبْدو عَلَيَّ..

التَّعَبْ..

وَدونَ أَنْ أَعْبَأَ بِدَمْعي الْـمُنْهَمِرْ..

وَأَموتَ..

وَيُسْدِلَ الْقَلْبُ أَجْفانَهُ الْأَخيرَهْ..

عَلَى كُلِّ مَا فَعَلْتُهُ..

وَعَلى كُلِّ مَا تَـمَنَّيْتُهُ..

وَعَلى كُلِّ ما حَلُمْتُ بِهِ….

وَكانَتِ الْكَراهِيَهْ..

أَوَّلَ ما تَعَفَّنَتْ..

مِنْ روحي…