"Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of religion. (Al-Shabaab)
Pity the nation that wears a cloth it does not weave
and eats a bread it does not harvest.
Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as hero,
and that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful. (People's qabil heros)
Pity a nation that despises a passion in its dream, (Somaliweyn)
yet submits in its awakening. (Different qabil ambitions)
Pity the nation that raises not its voice
save when it walks in a funeral, (Kenya/SA violence against Somalis)
boasts not except among its ruins,
and will rebel not save when its neck is laid
between the sword and the block. (1991 overthrow of the government)
Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox,
whose philosopher is a juggler,
and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking
Pity the nation that welcomes its new ruler with trumpeting,
and farewells him with hooting,
only to welcome another with trumpeting again. (Welcoming a new leader and hating them after a while and doing the same to the next one)
Pity the nation whose sages are dumb with years (All politicians)
and whose strongmen are yet in the cradle.
Pity the nation divided into fragments,
each fragment deeming itself a nation." (Self-explanatory)
Khalil Gibran (The Garden of the Prophet - 1934)
Does this poem reflect Somalia?
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This General Forum is for general discussions from daily chitchat to more serious discussions among Somalinet Forums members. Please do not use it as your Personal Message center (PM). If you want to contact a particular person or a group of people, please use the PM feature. If you want to contact the moderators, pls PM them. If you insist leaving a public message for the mods or other members, it will be deleted.
Does this poem reflect Somalia?
I've annotated it for those who may not get the references.
Last edited by hydrogen on Mon May 19, 2014 8:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- XimanJaale
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Re: Does this poem reflect Somalia?
OMG it so does! The words, the meanings if I just visualise it I see Somalia from all corners. How the nation has crumbled, how the nation has become so divided and naive is just beyond imagination. This poem has touched my heart and soul. When we will our people see?
Every village in Somalia thinks itself as it's own nation. We have become the doomed race. May God the most merciful help our people.
Hydro thanks for sharing this poem.
Every village in Somalia thinks itself as it's own nation. We have become the doomed race. May God the most merciful help our people.
Hydro thanks for sharing this poem.

Re: Does this poem reflect Somalia?
You're welcome. I think the reason it reflects Somalia so well is because human behaviour is predictable and Gibran observed this in several countries. There is little unique about Somalia's demise.
- Vivacious
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Re: Does this poem reflect Somalia?
hydrogen wrote:
Pity the nation that welcomes its new ruler with trumpeting,
and farewells him with hooting,
only to welcome another with trumpeting again. (Welcoming a new leader and hating them after a while and doing the same to the next one)
Pity the nation whose sages are dumb with years (All politicians)
and whose strongmen are yet in the cradle.
Pity the nation divided into fragments,
each fragment deeming itself a nation." (Self-explanatory)


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