Rashid Husein
1936 – 1977 poeta de la resistencia palestina. Nació Rashid Husein Aghbarieh en el pueblo de Musmus de las aldeas de Umm al-Fahm en 1936 Cisjordania- Palestina, y se mudó con su familia a Haifa en 1944, a causa de la guerra en 1948 y volvió a instalarse en su pueblo natal, Musmus. Empezó a escribir poesía a una edad temprana. En un corto período de tiempo se convirtió en el primer poeta en la arena palestina en Palestina USURPADA, publicó su primer libro de poesía a la edad de veinte años.
Trabajó en la enseñanza hasta que fue expulsado por el estado de Israel. Redactor jefe del periódico Al Fayyer hasta que fue prohibido por Israel.
Pasó varios años en las cárceles del estado de Israel.
A una nube
Soy la tierra, no me prives de lluvia
Soy todo lo que queda de ella, si
plantas árboles en mi frente
o conviertes en un huerto mis versos
de cereales
y rosas
Para conocerme
dame la lluvia
Yo soy, nube de mi vida, los montes de Galilea
Mi pecho es Haifa
Y Yaffa mi frente
No digas: imposible
¿Qué no escuchas los pasos de mi niño, que se acerca
a los umbrales de tu alma?
¿Qué no ves las venas de mi frente
empeñadas en tocar sus labios?
A tu espera, mis poemas se tornaron polvo
se volvieron un campo
se tornaron trigo
y crecieron árboles
Soy todo lo que queda de nuestra tierra
Así que dame…
dame la lluvia.
Rashid Hussein (1936-1977) was born in Musmus, Palestine. He published his first collection in 1957 and established himself as a major Palestinian poet and orator. He participated in founding the Land Movement in 1959. He left in 1966 and lived in Syria and Lebanon and later in New York City where he died in February, 1977. He was buried a week later in Musmus. His funeral was attended by thousands of Palestinians.
With the Land
The land comes near me
drinks from me
leaves its orchards with me
to become a beautiful weapon
defending me
Even when I sleep
the land comes near me
in my dream.
I smuggle its wild thyme
between exiles
I sing its stones
I will even sweat blood
from my veins
to drink its news
so the land comes near me
leaves a stone of love with me
to defend it
and defend me
When I repay it
I will embrace it a thousand times
I will worship it a thousand times
I will celebrate its wedding on my forehead
on the rubble of exiles
and the ruins of prisons
I will drink from it
It will drink from me
So that the Galilee would remain
beauty, struggle, and love
defending it
defending me
I see the land;
a morning that will come
and the land will come near me
Without a Passport
I was born without a passport
I grew up
and saw my country
become prisons
without a passport
So I raised a country
a sun
and wheat
in every house
I tended to the trees therein
I learned how to write poetry
to make the people of my village happy
without a passport
I learned that he whose land is stolen
does not like the rain
If he were ever to return to it, he will
without a passport
But I am tired of minds
that have become hotels
for wishes that never give birth
except with a passport
Without a passport
I came to you
and revolted against you
so slaughter me
perhaps I will then feel that I am dying
without a passport
* Translated by Sinan Antoon. The two poems appear in Rashid Hussein, Al-A`mal al-Shi`riyya (al-Taybe: Markaz Ihya’ al-Turath al-`Arabi, 1990)
.