The Wind Lyrics (English Translation) Marcel Khalifa – Ahmad Al Arabi

[Verse 1]
Waist of every wind,
Oh week of sugar!
Oh name of eyes, oh marble echo,
Oh Ahmad born of stone and wild thyme

And you will say: No.
And you will say: No.
And you will say: No.
And you will say: No.

[Verse 2]
My skin is the cloak of every peasant
Coming from the tobacco fields
To abolish the capitals.

And you will say: No.
And you will say: No.
And you will say: No.
And you will say: No.

[Verse 3]
My body is the manifesto
Of those arriving from light industries,
From hesitation… and from epics
To storm the era.

And you will say: No.
And you will say: No.
And you will say: No.
And you will say: No.

[Verse 4]
And my hand is the greeting of flowers and a grenade
Raised like a daily duty against the era.

And you will say: No.
And you will say: No.
And you will say: No.
And you will say: No.

[Verse 5]
Oh body stained with the hillsides
And with the coming suns

And you will say: No.
And you will say: No.
And you will say: No.
And you will say: No.

[Verse 6]
Oh body that weds the waves
Upon the guillotine

And you will say: No.
And you will say: No.
And you will say: No.
And you will say: No!

Key Improvements & Stylistic Choices

1. Defiant, Revolutionary Tone: The poem-song is built around the repeated refusal “No.” Each verse builds a case for resistance, and the refrain answers with unwavering rejection. The repetition becomes a mantra of defiance.

2. Stark, Poetic Imagery:

   • “Waist of every wind” a body connected to nature and movement.

   • “Born of stone and wild thyme” rooted in the earth, resilient, and untamed.

   • “My skin is the cloak of every peasant” solidarity with the working class.

   • “Flowers and a grenade” beauty and violence held in the same hand.

   • “Stained with the hillsides and the coming suns” marked by history and hope.

   • “Weds the waves upon the guillotine” a marriage of nature and revolutionary death.

3. Anthemic Structure: The repeated phrase “And you will say: No” acts as a rhythmic anchor, turning the poem into a chant something that demands to be spoken aloud, with rising intensity.

4. Escalating Defiance: Each verse introduces a new element of resistance peasants, factory workers, hands raised in greeting and threat, bodies marked by struggle building toward the final, explosive “No!”

5. Natural English Phrasing: The translation preserves the original’s poetic strangeness and power. Lines like “To abolish the capitals,” “To storm the era,” and “Raised like a daily duty against the era” sound both formal and fierce.

6. Clear Thematic Core: The song is about refusing to bow to power, to injustice, to the systems that crush people. The body becomes a site of resistance, and the repeated “No” is both a refusal and a declaration of existence.

7. Resonant Cultural Layers: The name “Ahmad” and references to tobacco fields, light industries, and guillotines root the poem in specific histories of struggle while remaining universal in their call to resist.

8. Powerful Closing: The final line “And you will say: No!” breaks from the pattern with an exclamation mark, signaling the ultimate, unbreakable refusal.