Den
fremragende amerikanske protestsanger David Rovics sang bl.a. denne sang om Jenin
ved demonstrationen mod dansk våbeneksport til Israel og krigsproduktion
ved Terma, Lystrup ved Århus.
Først gengives den i dansk oversættelse,
dernæst den engelske original.
Mit
barn, hvad vil du huske på
Når du mindes dit sekstene år
Richotterende
lyd fra helikopter-skud
Rumlen af tanks, der nærmer sig
Mens verden
fortsatte sin gang
og jeg brændte endnu en tank benzin
og Dow Jones
faldt et par point den dag
imens du græd i Byen Jenin
Gav
de forældrene et varsel
Før vinduer blæstes ud af eksplosioner
mens
du gemte dig i skolens kælder
og kirkeklokker ringed'
imens du så
din lærer falde sammen ved døren
og
i England bragtes dronningens skål
Du var så langt fra så
manges tanker
krøbet sammen i Byen Jenin
Tænkte
du på soldaternes skældsord
på de hånsord de smurte
over murene
eller på din fætter der blev torteret
eller Tel
Aviv og de strålende indkøbscentre
når de fede mænd
tilbagelænet sir at du ikke
ønsker fred
tænkte du på
hvad de mente
da du sad der midt i stanken midt i mørket
i den ødelagte
By Jenin
Hvad
gik gennem din hjerne, den dag
ved synet af dine moders tomme øjne
da
hun lå urørlig blandt brokker
under Mellemøstens dybblå
himmel
da du stod på denne bulldoz'de bygning
ved bosættelserne
og deres grønne bakker
da dine tårer efterlod en grim beslutning
i
ruinerne af Byen Jenin
Hvordan
kan det undre nogen
at du gik ombord
på den fyldte bus over Green
Line
og du rakte under jakken efter lunten
tænkte du på dine
naboers døde kroppe
da du lagde plan for denne dag
og da du tændte
bomberne der var bundet om dit liv
tænkte du da på Byen Jenin
Jenin
Oh,
child, what will you remember
When you recall your sixteenth year
The horrid
sound of helicopter gunships
The rumble of the tanks as they drew near
As
the world went about it's business
And I burned another tank of gasoline
The
Dow Jones lost a couple points that day
While you were crying in the City
of Jenin
Did
they even give your parents warning
Before they blew the windows out with shells
While
you hid inside the high school basement
Amidst the ringing of church bells
As you watched your teacher crumble by the
doorway
And in England
they were toasting to the Queen
You were so far from the thoughts of so many
Huddled
in the City of Jenin
Were
you thinking of the taunting of the
soldiers
Or of the shit they smeared
upon the walls
Were you thinking of your cousin after torture
Or Tel Aviv
and it's glittering shopping malls
When the fat men in their mansions say that
you
don't want peace
Did you wonder what they mean
As you sat amidst
the stench inside the darkness
In the shattered City of Jenin
What
went through your mind on that day
At the site of your mother's vacant eyes
As
she lay still among the rubble
Beneath the blue Middle Eastern skies
As
you stood upon this bulldozed building
Beside the settlements and their hills
so green
As your tears gave way to grim determination
Among the ruins of
the City of Jenin
And
why should anybody wonder
As you stepped on board
The crowded bus across
the Green Line
And you reached inside your jacket for the cord
Were you
thinking of your neighbors buried
bodies
As you made the stage for this
scene
As you set off the explosives that were strapped around your waist
Were
you thinking of the City of Jenin
Netavisen 31. august 2002