Hear, O Israel!

Hear, O Israel!  by Erich Fried
This is the 1969 version.

When we were the persecuted
I was one of you
How can I remain one
when you become the persecutors?

Your longing was
to become like other nations
who murdered you
Now you have become like them

You have outlived those
who were cruel to you
Does their cruelty
live on in you now?

You ordered the vanquished to:
"Take off your shoes"
You drove them, like a scapegoat
into the desert.

Into the great mosque of death
with sandals of sand.
still, they wouldn't take the blame
you wanted to hang on them.

The imprint of bare feet
in the desert sands
outlasts all traces
of your tanks and bombs.

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