Taha Muhammad Ali’s "Revenge"
Taha Muhammad Ali & Peter Cole at the 11th Dodge Poetry Festival
Photograph: Lynn Saville
One of our favorite moments at the 11th Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival (September 28-October 1, 2006) was the reading by Taha Muhammad Ali and Peter Cole of Taha’s then unpublished poem'"Revenge". (See below for links to the printed text of the poem in Arabic and in English.)
Some quick biographical information: In 1948, Taha fled from Galilee to Lebanon with his family when their village came under heavy bombardment during the Arab-Israeli war. A year later, still a teenager, he slipped back across the border and settled in Nazareth where he still lives, now as an Israeli citizen. When he is not reading and writing poetry, he runs a souvenir shop.
We offer two versions of this video clip, one with and one without English subtitles under Taha’s reading in Arabic. In both versions Taha’s translator Peter Cole (a distinguished poet in his own right) reads the poem in English after Taha reads it in Arabic. We recommend the version without subtitles, which is how we experienced the poem at the Festival.
As you will see from the audience reaction at the end, all of us who were there wished the deep humanity of this poem could be shared with the widest possible audience – and this is a start. Thank you for joining us.
David Grant, President and CEO
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
View the Video
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Taha Muhammad Ali and Peter Cole read "Revenge" - No subtitles (Quicktime)
Taha Muhammad Ali and Peter Cole read "Revenge" - With English subtitles (Quicktime)
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Printed text of "Revenge"
"Revenge" was initially published by TWO LINES: World Writing in Translation, along with a short introduction to the poet and the poem by Peter Cole.
www.catranslation.org
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