A flute could be a champagne glass, representative of celebrations, of weddings and other reasons to toast. In this capacity the poem could be saying that one of the things on this earth that makes life worth living is a mother standing on a champagne glass: standing in a position of pride, overseeing her child’s marriage or cause for celebration. But note that the poet says the “thinness” of a flute. Life is fragile. Joy, like sorrow, is fleeting. Those things that give cause to celebrate today are delicate and may not last. A flute can also be a musical instrument, which would give this image a whole different meaning. I wonder if it is clear that the author meant one or the other of these items in the original Arabic.

As for the fear of invaders of memories, this ties in with the idea of the celebratory nature of the champagne flute coupled with its delicate and breakable nature. Here is a beautiful memory; a mother taking pride in her child’s celebratory moment, but even as she celebrates she fears the person who might take those memories from her. Is it old age, is it death, or is it the true meaning of the word “invader,” an oppressor who will come and rob the mother of moments like these, in this case, that invader likely would be the Israelis, as this is a poem about the life of a Palestinian.

As to “the fear of the tyrants of the song,” I would again say that probably refers to the fear of oppressors. The fear of Israelis taking Palestinian land and treating Palestinians inhumanely. A song is a joyful experience, a way to celebrate life and country, and a tyrant of the song might be one who is there to try to take that joy and national pride away.

These phrases make life worth living because life is always beautiful and fragile. There is always the yin yang of joy and suffering. The good is precious because it exists in relation to the bad, and the bad is bearable because it exists in relation to the good. It is the fact that life is comprised of both the good and the bad that makes it worth living, that makes the sweet taste sweeter and the bitter easier to swallow.

-Okla Elliott, Managing Editor