Excerpts from Ḱaliil Rukuz
Niḣna b xomor hirben asrax min ġazel
La tḋayxii b mḣallale w mḣarrameWe live in an age fleeing faster than a deer
Do not waste your days with banned and allowed
La tḋayxi forṡit wujudik bil jidel
Do not waste the opportunity of your existance in argument
B afwit ḱabar majhul naṫorna zzaweel
Behind an unknown event, our end awaits
Zikrik maxii mitl l xaṡaayi la ḋḋariir
I carry your memory like the blind man carries his walking stick
Caw`i la ruḣik caw` minfi la ddiyaar
I long to your soul as an exile longs for home
Darb l bideeyi min kitir daxs ddhur
Nixmit w min ġabraatha ceb zzamenThe path of our beginning has become smooth
From the passing of time upon its route
And from its dust, time grew its white hair
Tmarrad ḋamiir ṫṫiin w nfak l lḣeem
The conscious of dirt has revolted, and it broke the weld
Ya rayt eedir icbul nhaari sini
W yintihi xomri l mlattam b żżalaam
Bala jmiiltik…riddi traabik ya dini
Afḋal ili ma cuf nees mxazzabiin
W b kil cibr traab xaḋm w jimijmiI wish I could compress my years in a day
And my life in darkness would end today
I don’t want your charity… take your dust back, oh life,
It’s better than seeing tortured people
And in every foot of earth, a skull and a bone