Nuh Ibrahim (1913-1938) was arguably the leading poet of the 1936 Arab Revolution in British-occupied Palestine. In 1936, Ibrahim joined the Palestinian national liberation movement, joining the same brigades that al-Qassam had organized. It was around this time that Ibrahim published a collection of his nationalist (or militant) poems, which was quickly banned in Palestine. He was imprisoned for five months in 1937 following the publication of his poem, “Commander Dill,” which skewered the top British military commander in Mandate Palestine. In October 1938, Nuh and three other militants were traveling outside the village of Tamra when they were killed by a British patrol who threw their bodies down a well. Later, local residents retrieved and buried the bodies in the local cemetery.
Though Ibrahim was only 25 years old when he was martyred, his poems and songs (almost entirely in the Palestinian Colloquial, rather than Modern Standard Arabic) remain popular, having been long part of nationalist song repertoires, and performed by bands such as Firqat al-Ashiqeen.
“What a loss, O Izz al-Din”
by Nūḥ Ibrāhīm
trans. Ahmed Saidam and Elliott Colla
Izz al-Din—What a loss!
Sacrificed for your nation
Who could deny your bravery,
O Martyr of Palestine?
Rest in peace, Izz al-Din,
Your death’s a lesson for all.
Oh—if only you’d lasted
Chief among freedom fighters
You gave your life and wealth
For the independence of your country.
And when the enemy came to you
You resisted them with firm resolve.
You resisted them with a steady heart
And your enemies feared you
Has Palestine ever seen
Someone as devoted as Izz al-Din?
You formed a league for righteous struggle
To liberate the country
Its goal: Victory or Death!
And you gathered together fervent men
You gathered together great, brave men
And with your own money, bought weapons
“Let us go to struggle,” you said.
“To defend the homeland and our Faith!”
You gathered together the very best of men
Holding onto so many hopes.
But treachery, my Man,
Played its role to give them power.
Betrayal played its game
And then the disaster came
Blood came up to the knees
And you would not surrender or yield
You roared, “God is great!”
Like a fierce lion
But fate decreed
The will of Our Lord
How sweet is death amidst struggle
Compared to a life of oppression.
His praiseworthy men answered,
“We die so that Palestine may live!”
The body has died, but the idea lives on,
And blood never turns into water!
We pledge before God, My Brother
To die as Izz al-Din died.
Recite the Fatiha, Brothers,
For the souls of the homeland’s martyrs.
And register this, O Time:
Each one of us is Izz al-Din
Source: Nūḥ Ibrāhīm, Majmū‘at qaṣā’id Falasṭīn al-mujāhida (Damascus: Maṭba‘at al-I‘tidāl, N.D. [1939?], 49-50.
يا خسارة ، يا عزالدين
للشاعر نوح إبراهيم
(عز الدين) يا خسارتك
رحت فدا لأمتك
مين بينكر شهامتك
يا شهيد فلسطين
(عز الدين) يا مرحوم
موتك درس للعموم
آه لوكنت تدوم
يا رئيس المجاهدين
ضحيت بروحك ومالك
لأجل استقلال بلادك
العدو لما جالك
قاومتو بعزم متين
قاومتوا بقلب ثابت
والعدا منك هابت
فلسطين مين قال شافت
مثل غيرة (عز الدين)
أسست عصبة للجهاد
حتى تحرر البلاد
غايتها نصر أو استشهاد
وجمعت رجال غيورين
جمعت رجال من الملاح
من مالك شريت سلاح
وقلت هيا للكفاح
لنصر الوطن والدين
جمعت نخبة رجال
وكنت معقد الآمال
لكن الغدر يا خال
لعب دورو بالتمكين
لعبت الخيانة لعبة
وقامت وقعت النكبة
وسال الدم للركبة
وما كنت تسلم وتلين
كنت تصيح الله أكبر
كالأسد الغضنفر
لكن حكم المقدر
مشيئة رب العالمين
محلا الموت والجهاد
ولا عيشة الاستعباد
جاوبوه رجاله الأمجاد
نموت وتحيا فلسطين
الجسم مات المبدأ حي
والدماء ما تصير مي
منعاهد الله يا خي
نموت موتة (عزالدين)
اقروا الفاتحة يا اخوان
على روح شهداء الأوطان
وسجل عندك يا زمان
كل واحد منا (عزالدين)
