A man from this, our land, I shout, I decree,
I will exist forever, for eternity… you will see.
In a world fractured by aggression and inhumanity, this is a poet who dares to imagine unity.
As Jesus, I will return with heaven's force,
gathering my fragments from every storm.
I’ll return, the beloved rebel in due course,
I’ll return as the greatest revolution’s norm.
I’ll return with the Torah, Gospel, and Quran,
with prayer, devotion, and deepest adoration.
I will return with all religions, as one domain,
free from hatred and biased indoctrination.
Do you think that when you set me ablaze,
And danced like the devil upon my remains,
That you had left me for the winds to raise,
my ashes, as kohl for the sun’s eye in vain?
Do you think you have erased my identity,
wiped away my history, beliefs in disdain?
In vain you try, for a rebel’s certain destiny,
is as Judgment Day. My justice I will regain.
As we witness the wholesale destruction and annihilation of lives in Gaza, Al-Siqur’s voice rises like a phoenix from the ashes reminding us that no fire can erase a people’s truth, no violence can silence a soul rooted in faith and memory.
His poem in Arabic below, is a cry from the depth of moral history as well as a prophecy for the present. I present also my humble attempt at translating his powerful poem into English.
48th Poetry Post - Friday, 15th August, 2025
In times of devastation, poetry becomes more than art, it becomes testimony, defiance, and remembrance.
The words of Saudi poet Muhthal Al-Siqur, born in Najran and descended from a lineage of poets, echo with haunting relevance today. His verse, steeped in spiritual symbolism and the unbroken human spirit, speaks not only of survival of the individual, but of collective identity and justice.