Literature:If I must die

Source

English

If I must die,
you must live
to tell my story
to sell my things
to buy a piece of cloth
and some strings,
(make it white with a long tail)
so that a child, somewhere in Gaza
while looking heaven in the eye
awaiting his dad who left in a blaze—
and bid no one farewell
not even to his flesh
not even to himself—
sees the kite, my kite you made,
flying up above
and thinks for a moment an angel is there
bringing back love
If I must die,
let it bring hope
let it be a tale

References

• Refaat Alareer [@itranslate123] (November 1, 2023). "If I must die, let it be a tale. #FreePalestine #Gaza" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

Translations

Soc'ul'

Ih secxeý secsuxad,
c'ez cozxeý cozil
āhcorxauc tiéyan je
āhcorjuaímu ez'e secmuzm'e
āhcumeýu xil juajo
tsil ā,
(coznivíljíax milax r'ūj ne)
c'ez āhjí je có, xad eý Gaza eý
miu āhz'aiuc'laz'i Ñēyan
āhūts cé hé āhñéz xem—
āhcualuñoz'i xen'
xen xen il' je
xen xen coil je—
huuc' tnestijo, tnestijo en āhcozatx,
āhucuj m'e xenuz
c'ua hez'i xil āhueylac jál eý coiad
āhuñéiejax huriad
Ih secxeý secsuxad,
uc' c'ualaiax
uc' aíún' tiéyan

Interlinear glossing

Ih

if

sec-xeý

1>1-need

sec-suxad,

1>1-die

Ih sec-xeý sec-suxad,

if 1>1-need 1>1-die

c'ez

RES

coz-xeý

2>2-need

coz-il

2>2-live

c'ez coz-xeý coz-il

RES 2>2-need 2>2-live

āh-cor-xauc

REL-2>1-say

tiéyan

story

je

to

āh-cor-xauc tiéyan je

REL-2>1-say story to

āh-cor-juaímu

REL-2>1-sell

ez'e

NZ

sec-muzm'e

1>1-own

āh-cor-juaímu ez'e sec-muzm'e

REL-2>1-sell NZ 1>1-own

āh-cu-meýu

REL-2>CL5-buy

xil

piece

juajo

cloth

āh-cu-meýu xil juajo

REL-2>CL5-buy piece cloth

tsil

string

ā,

some

tsil ā,

string some

(coz-nivíl-jí-ax

2>2-white-ADJ.VBZ-CAUS

milax

tail

r'ūj

long

ne)

with

(coz-nivíl-jí-ax milax r'ūj ne)

2>2-white-ADJ.VBZ-CAUS tail long with

c'ez

RES

āh-jí

REL-do

je

to

có,

child

xad

PFRM

eý

at

Gaza

Gaza

eý

in

c'ez āh-jí je có, xad eý Gaza eý

RES REL-do to child PFRM at Gaza in

miu

PROG

āh-z'ai-uc'la-z'i

REL-CL2>CL1-eye-VBZ

Ñēyan

heaven

miu āh-z'ai-uc'la-z'i Ñēyan

PROG REL-CL2>CL1-eye-VBZ heaven

āh-ūts

REL-wait

cé

father

hé

CL2.INAL

āh-ñéz

REL-leave

xem—

burn

āh-ūts cé hé āh-ñéz xem—

REL-wait father CL2.INAL REL-leave burn

āh-cualuño-z'i

REL-goodbye-VBZ

xen'

none

āh-cualuño-z'i xen'

REL-goodbye-VBZ none

xen

NEG

xen

REDUP

il'

human blood

je

to

xen xen il' je

NEG REDUP {human blood} to

xen

NEG

xen

REDUP

coil

REFL

je—

to

xen xen coil je—

NEG REDUP REFL to

hu-uc'

CL2>CL5-see

tnestijo,

kite

tnestijo

kite

en

1.POSS

āh-coz-atx,

REL-2>2-make

hu-uc' tnestijo, tnestijo en āh-coz-atx,

CL2>CL5-see kite kite 1.POSS REL-2>2-make

āh-u-cuj

REL-CL5>CL5-fly

m'e

top

xenuz

from

āh-u-cuj m'e xenuz

REL-CL5>CL5-fly top from

c'ua

think

hez'i

ADVZ

xil

brief

āh-u-eylac

REL-CL5>CL5-stand

jál

DEM

eý

at

coiad

spirit

c'ua hez'i xil āh-u-eylac jál eý coiad

think ADVZ brief REL-CL5>CL5-stand DEM at spirit

āh-u-ñéiej-ax

REL-CL5>CL5-return-CAUS

huriad

love

āh-u-ñéiej-ax huriad

REL-CL5>CL5-return-CAUS love

Ih

if

sec-xeý

1>1-need

sec-suxad,

1>1-die

Ih sec-xeý sec-suxad,

if 1>1-need 1>1-die

uc'

SUBJ

c'ualai-ax

hope-CAUS

uc' c'ualai-ax

SUBJ hope-CAUS

uc'

SUBJ

aíún'

COP.CL1>CL1

tiéyan

story

uc' aíún' tiéyan

SUBJ COP.CL1>CL1 story