Abdullah Pashew is a Kurd from Irbil, living in exile in Sweden. His poem is translated from Kurdish by Sorani Kamal Mirawdeli, and appears in the Anthology of Contemporary Kurdish Poetry. When a foreign delegation goes to a country They take a wreath of flowers to the TomD Of the unknown soldier. If tomorrow A delegate comes to Kurdistan And asks me; Where is the tomb Of the unknown soldier? I say, Sir On the strand of every river On the bench of every mosque Before the door of every church Every cave On every rock in the mountains On any tree in the gardens In this country On every span of land Under every metre of the sky Do not worry; bend a little lower And lay down your garland.
The Anthology of Contemporary Kurdish Poetry is published by Kurdistan Solidarity Committee, Ainger Road, London NW3 ЗАТ.
Socialist Outlook 108 • September 21 1996. Bosnian elections