No Sympathy for the Poor (with captions)

Описание: This song is part of a series based on the poems of Hafiz in his book Little Book of Life made new by Erfan Mojib & Gary Gach. This one is the 11th poem in the book. Poem & Lyrics below. Song on Suno; Video Editing on Clipchamp; captions on MixCaptions; assistance from Lyra (my ChatGPT AI.)

Hafiz poem 11: Let’s face it / The people of our time / Have no sympathy for the poor

No Sympathy for the Poor

Let’s face it,
the people of our time
have no sympathy for the poor.
We dress our distance up as wisdom,
call it discipline,
call it law,
call it lessons learned the hard way.

We say,
“Pull yourself up,”
like there’s a rope,
like there’s ground beneath the fall,
like the hole wasn’t there
before the man ever learned his name.

Being poor is rarely a choice.
It’s a weight;
it’s a silence.
It’s a voice you swallow every day
before you speak.

They say, “Teach a man to fish,”
but first—
does he have water
that isn’t poisoned?
Fish that aren’t dying already?
Lungs that can breathe the air above the lake?

Is he allergic?
Is he allowed?
Is he welcome?
Is he legal?
Does he have the right papers
to stand where the fish are?

What if he was born in the hole?
What if someone pushed him in?
What if every time he climbed,
a boot came down again?

Does he have a license?
A state ID?
A social security number?
A place to keep them safe?
Does he have a sidewalk
if he’s in a wheelchair?
Does he have arms?
Does he have hands?
Does he have strength left
after surviving the night?

Does he have a pole?
Does he have bait?
Can he afford the lie
that this is simple?
Does he know how to swim
if the water takes him under?

Being poor is rarely a choice.
It’s exhaustion;
it’s humiliation.
It’s living with the fear
that asking for help
is the last thing you’re allowed to do.

Does he have the knife
to clean the fish?
The fire
to cook the fish?
The wood?
The fuel?
The right to build the fire at all?
Can he take a life to save his own?
Can his heart hold that?
Can his mind survive it?
And if it breaks him,
will we blame him, too?

There are so many things to consider
before we repeat the saying
that lets us feel righteous
and walk away.

Let’s face it,
the people of our time
have no sympathy for the poor.
We call neglect philosophy
and mercy interference
and survival a moral failure.

Most people want to stand
on their own feet,
if we would stop
breaking their legs
long enough
to help.

Hafiz. Hafiz's Little Book of Life. Translated by Erfan Mojib and Gary Gach, Hampton Roads Publishing, 2023.