dare not to sleep

i was awakened last night by a strange dream,
as if a voice said to me,
from afar, like the silent scream from the river of death,
and i rose and asked: why do you call me?

- dare not to slumber! dare not to sleep!
dare not believe, it was merely a dream!
yesterday i was given the sentence.
my family was taken away from me,
my time will come soon do you not awake!

the whole village is dying,
and every district has village by village dying,
we lie here, awaiting, in water of death,
we lie here, we rot, have you forgot?

we know not ourselves, what does lie ahead,
who will be the next one, that we will find dead.
we cry and we beg: but do you listen?
is there really none among you that will awake?

no one can see us,
none know what befalls us,
yet more:
none will believe - what the day will bring us!

and then you defy: this can not be true?
that men can be so utterly ignorant,
there has to be someone with minds that are pure?
oh, brother, you are still so defiant!

in ´71 they said: give your life, if commanded,
we´ve given it now, for nothing it was handed.
has the country has forgotten? have we´ve all been deceived?
dare not to sleep in this hour - this eve.

you must not go to your narrow mind,
or think: what´s your loss - or what´s your gain?
you must not excuse with your work or your land,
nor say you have too much in your own hand.

you must not be at rest, sitting calm in your home,
saying: sad it is, poor they are, and alone.
you must not! you dare not!, so easily accept,
the injustice that yourself does not touch.
i scream with the last of my breath:
you must not! you dare not! so easily forget!



allow me to let this free translation of the poem "dare not to sleep" by arnulf øverland, 1937, with help and picks from the english translation of lars-toralf storstrand, describe my view on the jagoron (awakening) campaign.

this is not about poems or rhyme, this is a famous poem raising its voice against ignorance.

this blogging platform is given for your engagement, for your inclusiveness, for you taking responsibility for your local community! there is a lot of engagement to get justice for the war crimes - good is that! just do not lose the engagement for your own countrymen in times of disaster. it is just some 10 days since the cyclone struck, and thousands are still missing (some still floating in the rivers). millions are traumatized and in despair. have you done anything to help?

please, do not engage yourself in trivial daily matter before you at least have done some effort for the victims of sidr. fill the blog with your engagement!

wake up!!!!!!!!!