Thursday, February 15, 2007

"Pity the Nation", by Khalil Gibran


Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of religion.
Pity the nationt hat wears a cloth it does not weave,
eats a bread it does not harvest,
and drinks a wine that flows not from its own wine-press.
Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as hero,
and that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful.
Pity a nation that despises a passion in its dream,
yet submits in its awakening.
Pity the nation that raises not its voice
save when it walks in a funeral,
boasts not except among its ruins,
and will rebel not save when its neck is laid
between the sword and the block.
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.
Pity the nation whose sages are dumb with years
and whose strong men are yet in the cradle.
Pity the nation divided into into fragments,
each fragment deeming itself a nation.

12 Comments:

Blogger Mohinder56 said...

बेहद सुन्दर भाव से लिखी गये शब्द हैं आप की लेखनी द्वारा, बहुत कुछ पढने और समझ्ने को बाकी है .
मेरे ब्लाग http://dilkadarpan.blogspot.com पर पधार कर अपनी टिप्पणी से मेरी रचनाओं का मुल्याकंन करने की कृपा करें
विशेष रूप से मेरी एक कविता "केवल संज्ञान है" जो http://merekavimitra.blogspot.com पर प्रेषित है आप की टिप्पणी की प्रतीक्षा में है

मोहिन्दर

9:03 AM  
Blogger Harshad Jangla said...

Lavanyaji

Do you think this poem was written with keeping a nation in mind by Khalil Gibran? If yes, which nation?
-Harshad Jangla
Feb 15 2007

1:18 PM  
Blogger लावण्यम्` ~ अन्तर्मन्` said...

Harshad bhai,
Khalil Gibran is a Philosopher who has written & spoken about the Eternal Truths - it is addressed to not any one particuler Nation but can be applied to ANY nation at given time --
His words stand as a " Warning "
& encouragement for every Nation to be " Self ~ reliant" which is a basic tennat of Democracy.
BUT --.
in this day & age of GLOBAL EXCHANGE the playing Field has leveled --
All Nations depend on others & the flow of Goods & labor flow, freely.
This is my understanding ---
Rgds,
L

1:43 PM  
Blogger लावण्यम्` ~ अन्तर्मन्` said...

मोहिन्दरजी,
आपके ब्लोग पर भी अवश्य आकर आपकी कविताएँ भी पढूँगी --
यहाँ टिप्पणी रखने का बहोत बहोत शुक्रिया !
-- लावण्या

1:44 PM  
Blogger Divine India said...

मै ख़लील ज़िब्रान का बहुत बड़ा प्रशंसक हूँ…उनकी इस लेख को प्रस्तुत कर आपने काफी अच्छा किया…वैसे प्रमुखत: सभी किताबों को मैने पढ़ा है और उनका सबसे प्रसिद्ध…The Prophet को बहुत दफा…।धन्यवाद स्वीकारे!!

11:45 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Lavanyaji,
your name, writings, and site all are very beautiful. I would want to return to it again.....taking my time.....don't wish to hurry through.....your hindi is wonderful....having right word at hand for expression adds so much beauty to a poem...!!

10:21 AM  
Blogger ayeshagul said...

this is a beautiful poem.

3:26 AM  
Blogger ayeshagul said...

well it pretty much applies to Pakistan right now...may god bless us all.
peace and harmony!

3:29 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Well i just want to say that khalil jibran was a great thinker and writer, he has rightly said about any nation that does not leave an impression of life in itself. As Allah Subhan Tallah also says in Quran that i dont help those whom have no will to stand up or help themseleves. Long Live our true Muslim nation

5:46 AM  
Blogger Awar said...

The poem is commonly understood to refer to Lebanon, Gibran's home country. It applies to it now as it applied to it then.

2:28 PM  
Blogger sadafjafar said...

I guess every nation would identify its lost soul in this poem...Every time i read it i feel sad for how we too are not left untouched by the vices that the nation possess. But i do believe that those who feel like me would not let the soul of the country perish under these vices

9:48 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

PAKISTAN KE UPAR

8:16 AM  

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