Mu’in Tawfiq Bseiso
Mu’in Tawfiq Bseiso (1926 – January 23, 1984)) was a Palestinian poet who lived in Egypt. He finished his primary and secondary education in Gaza in 1948. On January 27, 1952, he published his first work titled Al-Ma’raka (translated: The Battle). He published several other volumes of poetry: Palestine in the Heart, (1964), Trees Die Standing (1966). He was imprisoned in jails in Gaza twice: 1955 to 1957 and 1959 to 1963. He died due to heart failure in London in 1984.
His works have been translated into English, French, German, Russian, Azeri, Uzbek, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Persian. Mu’in Bseiso was awarded the Afro-Asian Lotus Prize for Literature and was the vice Editor in Chief of the Lotus magazine issued by the Afro-Asian Writers’ Association. Additionally, he was the recipient of the Palestinian Revolution Shield.)
Translated by Dr.Salwa Gouda
Dr Salwa Gouda is an accomplished Egyptian literary translator, critic, and academic affiliated with the English Language and Literature Department at Ain Shams University. Holding a PhD in English literature and criticism, Dr. Gouda pursued her education at both Ain Shams University and California State University, San Bernardino. She has authored several academic works, including Lectures in English Poetry and Introduction to Modern Literary Criticism, among others. Dr. Gouda also played a significant role in translating The Arab Encyclopedia for Pioneers, a comprehensive project featuring poets, philosophers, historians, and literary figures, conducted under the auspices of UNESCO. Recently, her poetry translations have been featured in a poetry anthology published by Alien Buddha Press in Arizona, USA. Her work has also appeared in numerous international literary magazines, further solidifying her contributions to the field of literary translation and criticism.
We will not die
We will eradicate death from our land
There… there… far away
The soldiers will carry me, my comrades
They will throw me into terrible darkness
They will throw me into the hell of restrictions
Yes, we will not die, but…
We will uproot death from our land
They searched my room, brother
They found nothing but some books
And piles of bones that are my brothers
They groan between a mother and a father
They woke them up with their kicks
They ignited anger in the eyes
Yes, we will not die, but…
We will uproot death from our land
I am now among the soldiers of tyrants
I am now being dragged into detention
My father’s face is still there
In front of me
Arming me with hope
And my mother moans
A long moan
And around her, my brothers were screaming
And around them, some of our neighbors
And each of them has a child in prison
Yes, we will not die, but…
We will uproot death from our land
But despite the brutality of the soldiers
I raised a hand weighed down by chains
And I shouted to them: I am coming back
With the army of comrades
With the army of thunder
Yes, we will not die, but…
We will uproot death from our land
There I see a worker on the road
I see the victorious leader of the revolution
He waves an iron hand at me
And another had sparks flying from it
Yes, we will not die, but…
We will uproot death from our land
I am now among hundreds of comrades
I tighten their fists with my fist
I now feel strong
And I will defeat my cell
Yes, we will not die, but…
We will uproot death from our land
Yes we will not die, yes we will live
Even if the shackle ate from our bones
And even if the whips of tyrants tear us apart
Even if they set fire to our bodies
Yes, we will not die, but we will
Eradicate death from our land.
