Page 219 - Features of an Era
P. 219
ding his poem the Stone Cake that A picture of the granite pedestal of the statue of
spread like wildfire across Egypt,» (34) Isma’il in the heart of Tahrir Square in the late
sixties of the last century
Thus, the stone pedestal of the statue
of Isma’il was the central symbol; it was
the cornerstone of the sit-ins and the safe
haven for the students searching for a
supporting, inspiring entity. There was no
better than that exquisite granite pedestal
to rally around like glowing candles
around their stone cake, as seen by the
great poet Dunqul.
Indeed, this wonderful poem, the Song
of the Stone Cake, must be mentioned,
as it is the finest example to reflect the
spirit of that glorious event, and the
best witness to the combination of both
literary and artistic masterpieces during
the intense national movement in rare
historical moments. Here is the whole
poem:
The Book of Exodus The Song of the Stone Cake by Amal Dunqul
Chapter I
O standers on the verge of the massacre
Raise the weapons
Death fell
Like a rosary, the heart broke
And the blood ran over the ribbon
The houses are tombs
The prison cells are tombs
The horizons are tombs
Raise the weapons
And follow me
I am the remorse of tomorrow and yesterday
My symbol: Two bones and a skull
My slogan: The morning
(34) It was first published in 1972 in Sanabel, a magazine issued by poet Muhammad Afify Matar under
the patronage of Ibrahim Baghdadi, Governor of Kafr El-Sheikh, resulting in the closure of the magazine. It
was published for the second time in Dunqul’s collection of poetry The Coming Testament (1975), and had an
additional name, Book of Exodus, in which poems were arranged in chapters as the Bible.
219
spread like wildfire across Egypt,» (34) Isma’il in the heart of Tahrir Square in the late
sixties of the last century
Thus, the stone pedestal of the statue
of Isma’il was the central symbol; it was
the cornerstone of the sit-ins and the safe
haven for the students searching for a
supporting, inspiring entity. There was no
better than that exquisite granite pedestal
to rally around like glowing candles
around their stone cake, as seen by the
great poet Dunqul.
Indeed, this wonderful poem, the Song
of the Stone Cake, must be mentioned,
as it is the finest example to reflect the
spirit of that glorious event, and the
best witness to the combination of both
literary and artistic masterpieces during
the intense national movement in rare
historical moments. Here is the whole
poem:
The Book of Exodus The Song of the Stone Cake by Amal Dunqul
Chapter I
O standers on the verge of the massacre
Raise the weapons
Death fell
Like a rosary, the heart broke
And the blood ran over the ribbon
The houses are tombs
The prison cells are tombs
The horizons are tombs
Raise the weapons
And follow me
I am the remorse of tomorrow and yesterday
My symbol: Two bones and a skull
My slogan: The morning
(34) It was first published in 1972 in Sanabel, a magazine issued by poet Muhammad Afify Matar under
the patronage of Ibrahim Baghdadi, Governor of Kafr El-Sheikh, resulting in the closure of the magazine. It
was published for the second time in Dunqul’s collection of poetry The Coming Testament (1975), and had an
additional name, Book of Exodus, in which poems were arranged in chapters as the Bible.
219
