Well, he wrote this during the WW1:
ANTHEM FOR DOOMED YOUTH
What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?-
Only the monstrous anger of the guns.
Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle
Can patter out their hasty orisons.
No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells;
Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,
The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
And bugles calling for them from sad shires.
What candles may be held to speed them all?
Not in the hands of boys but in their eyes
Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes.
The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall;
Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,
And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.
Haitham next door has posted those horrific photographs which sum up the terror Iraqi children are being subjected to:
Can you imagine? A little child suffering all this terror?
What do we tell this one ? What has he done wrong ? Why are his eyes shut and his hands tied ? Is it one of the games Iraqi children should become used to playing ? An Iraqi-American version of hide and seek perhaps ?
And this can't be the morning exercise class for those children, is it ? There is something about American education which we don't seem to have grasped yet.
And Haitham is asking: Why are the Americans seeing all this and keeping quiet ?
And SBG would like to ask: Why have the Arabs gone deaf, dumb and blind to the suffering of their neighbours ?
6 comments:
I am honestly furious at the posting. Not because of the pictures of the poor children that we have seen for the first time since the start of the war or the sudden realization that nobody is doing anything to help them, but because we have the audacity to sit back and ask the same questions over and over again, and lord and be hold realize that nothing has happened and a few months later pop up with new pictures that foreign photographers have probably taken and ask the same questions again. All of this because we, in general, in the Arab world like to ask questions instead of acting or in the least finding pragmatic solutions to the real problem that we face, and then ask 'why aren't the Americans doing anything about this?!'
I'm not sure if some people ask these questions to sound intellectual in front of others or if it is because of some others' need to quell their conscience by trying to believe that they really truly care.
Let me answer both your question SBG and Haitham's by saying the following:
Americans have done more for the Iraqis than any of the Arab people to date. Maybe their Government has invaded Iraq but every now and then you hear of public protests or the parents of the soldiers crying out to stop the war. The fact that the protests that were held there prior to the start of the war were larger than most of the protests in the Arab countries combined, in addition they actually have the right to write their members of Congress to demand an end to the war, and they use it.
So now tell me what have the Arab Government or the Arab people done in the past couple of years since the start of the war, a few protests before it started, fewer protests after, maybe a few gatherings that tell people that the war is bad. Ofcourse not forgetting how Arab leaders gave the cold shoulder to the Iraqi Government only smiling and nodding to appease the grand ol’ USofA.
But really SBG's question is why? Why aren’t the Arabs (us) doing anything to help? and whether the Arabs (us again) have gone blind and deaf to the suffering of their neighbors. The answer is yes because we have been borne and raised with a defeatist mentality that tells us that no matter how hard we try we cannot change the reality around us. Even worse, now I hear a resounding fear that proper lawful action will actually make things worse. This mentality is the reality that we live in and is one that has been placed in order to lie down, play dead, and end up in blogs asking Why !!We used to discuss these things behind closed doors for fear of being arrested, and now it seems that we discuss them publicly while keeping ourselves anonymous for fear of ourselves or others. And believe me our doom will be ‘why?’.
As profit Mohammed (peace be upon him) said: Those of you who see bad deeds being committed need to change it by their hands if they cant then by their tongues, if they cant then by their hearts and that is the weakest level of ‘iman’(belief).
Where are we from our culture, religion and humanity?
Ouch aalman..
That really hurt.
But sharing such thoughts don't. Unlike the government, I see no harm in venting out and speaking your mind.
My questions were posed not for me to act and seem intellectual. I don't need titles and trophies for me to know my worth. I am full of S%%% without those accolades!
I had a more selfish reason:
Haitham's pix have really moved me.. at least the little bit of Iraqi blood left in me...(my great grandmother is Iraqi).
All the time I was looking at tthe picture of the little girl in particular I couldnt stop thinking that under different circumstances, it could have been me; the boy could have been my brother.
I realise that we Arab are only good at one thing: yupping. Our big traps never shut and we are not capable of doing anything useful.
The age of discoveries is over. Even expats when they come here say they "lose enthusiasm." I don't want to sound so defeatest, but the fact remains that we are muzzled, shackled and beriddled with troubles which make it difficult for us to act in a logical practical manner.
I walked in the anti-war rallies. I carried the posters: beautiful ones I did at home on my own. I forced friends and relatives to join in...and I know now that they were a waste of time and energy.
Just like Palestine is over...let's say Iraq is over.
But it isn't game over yet. Who's next? Let's flip a coin: Iran or Syria ?
Oops...Iran isn't an Arab country. It is ogre we have been terrifying children with all night long.
On second thoughts...
I am only a silly bahraini girl while YOU are ALL MAN (or is it Aal man?)
I will leave the thinking and muscle to you ;) while I continue basking in my silliness.
because we are busy building Paradise Islands and competiting with our brothers to as who boosts in tourism and gets more money..Iraq and Palestine u say, okay we will hold a marathon/walkathon, advise our kids how we should help our brothers, send some money and then try tactics to get the Formula1(or nyhting irrevelant) in our city first..
There's nothing wrong with venting your outrage or asking questions. It all serves a purpose. Who is anyone to question your sincerity?
Sorry SBG it I didn’t mean what I said to hurt, and I wasn’t questioning your motives, I was just outlining the general atmosphere. Those pictures moved me too, and very much so, remember the picture of the little boy hiding behind his father in Palestine? That one put me to tears.. while sitting in my comfortable couch and clicking the remote button, and once it was all over, I clicked away and watched an episode of Friends. So, in a sense, I was speaking about most if not all which in reality includes me too.
Sume, I'm not questioning anyone's sincerity I was just pointing out facts. The fact remains that we live in a defeatist culture. People who want to make a difference don’t say we are prisoners, but say this is how we undo our chains. If the Jews were able to escape the concentration camps we should all be able to escape our captors. We need to get over Shiite or Sunni and concentrate on Muslim, for after all, that's all that really counts.
And SBG.. lol.. on the lighter side.. that was a cute comment about you being silly.. But I think you do understand that I don’t buy it. :P
PS it's just aalman.. no muscle or thought.
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