It’s fascinating how the poem shifts tremendously on the decision of whether to translate الشعب as “a people/the people,” which makes them a collective, or as “people,” thus turning them into individuals.
Tag Archive for ‘Abo Al Qassim Al Shabbi’
Three Translations of Abu al-Qasim al-Shabi’s ‘If the People Wanted Life One Day’
No one has yet submitted a re-translation of “To the Tyrants of the World.” However, we are having a miniature translation slam for Abu al-Qasim al-Shabi’s most famous work.
To the Tyrants of the World
Who does not, this morning, have hope (and fear) for Tunisia on the brain?
I can’t say much for this anonymous Wikipedia translation of Tunisian poet Abo Al Qassim Al Shabbi’s (1909-1934) “To the Tyrants of the World,” but here it is:
