The Promise of Liberty by Mahmoud Darwish

The Promise of Liberty 

I walk the streets of the West Bank 
Without fear, though the pirates drank 
My spilt blood. My feet are torn, 
Swollen by a dagger, a knife, a thorn; 
Yet my heart is deeply - rooted in the land 
Where we walk, band after bold band! 
We are a soft breeze to our friends, 
And gunpowder against hostile trends: 
We march, and act; and we never sleep, 
Because we have promises to keep: 
Freedom beckons along the horizon afar, 
Leading our footsteps, like the polar star. 
We spare no effort, sacrifice or toil 
Till we celebrate the liberty of our soil. 

- Mahmoud Darwish - 
March 13, 1941 - August 9, 2008 

The Poet of Palestinian People