Scottish Keening Pibroch Lament for Refaat Alareer

Описание: Refaat Alareer, the Palestinian professor of Literature and storyteller born in a refugee camp, died last week in a targeted bombing in Gaza.

Before his death, he wrote this beautiful poem :

If I must die

If I must die,
you must live
to tell my story
to sell my things
to buy a piece of cloth
and some strings,
(make it white with a long tail)
so that a child, somewhere in Gaza
while looking heaven in the eye
awaiting his dad who left in a blaze—
and bid no one farewell
not even to his flesh
not even to himself—
sees the kite, my kite you made,
flying up above
and thinks for a moment an angel is there
bringing back love
If I must die
let it bring hope
let it be a tale.

Refaat Alareer

I felt this was a call to action.
So I wrote some words in response.
And put the words to an ancient Scots Pibroch bagpipe tune.

Scots Pibroch Laments say something of the suffering of its own people and the attempted obliteration of something that simply will not lie down and die. Here are the words in Scots :

Scots Keening Pibroch lament for Refaat Alareer

1. Ah will reach tae the sky
An’ frae the heavens
Ah will pluck an air for ye
An wi that air, Ah will tell
O yer story.

2. In ma sang ye must die
Tae birth a kite
Flyin free on Angel wings
In shimmerin white
An pristine strings. Eternal threads.

3. Far below a bairn will gaze
Frae bloodied land
Wrested frae his faithers hand
Wha’s tiny fist clasps
Deadened bones o’ his hale world.

4. Upwards yer kite flies
On wings o‘ glory
Tae haud the hope
Restore the love
Bring back the love
Tae senseless streets
Palestine. Hame o' Jesus.

Madge Bray

Recorded on Winter Solstice night - before the return of the light - 2023 in the Highlands of Scotland.
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