If I Must Die: Gerhard Erasmus - Afrikaans, Sondra & Ivory - Taiwanese, Emily & Marco - Mandarin

If I Must Die by Dr Refaat Alareer is spoken in three languages by five people during an English class in Taiwan.
1. Gerhard Erasmus from South Africa in Afrikaans
2. Sondra and Ivory in Taiwanese (also called Min Nan Yu or Hokkien)
3. Emily and Marco in Mandarin Chinese
Gerhard says: As an advanced adults class that meets online once a week, tonight we wanted to do something different. The translation of the poem made us realize how we sometimes read over things without looking at the implication of words or the deeper meaning. This focused our attention on that.
Why this poem? Because it has a beautiful immortal message. Something every parent wants to tell their children, every leader wants to tell his followers, and every person wishes for. To be remembered as a beacon of hope
Sondra says: It was not an easy task and very challenging, especially translating a poem. I'm glad to have been given such a chance to do this. Regarding translation, I think that a certain level of knowledge and interpretation of a poem based on its background is required. Thanks to Gerhard, the necessary information was well provided, so that we could appropriately elaborate on Refaat Alareer, the author's main mindset and thinking (I hope we did……) and interpret it into another language/dialect. Through the poem, I strongly feel his desperation and sorrow, but I also see that he was trying to bring hope to the people who currently have been suffering in this devastating situation. When and where is the end? Stop the inhumane attacks/genocide! NO MORE WARS, NO MORE TRAGEDIES!
Emily says: From this poem, I can feel the pain and hardships they face but also shows their strong spirit and determination to fight for their freedom and rights. It encourages me to feel empathy and support for those who are suffering.
The poem uses strong and emotional language to paint a picture of their difficult life. Despite the suffering, the poet emphasizes their courage and willingness to sacrifice for a better future. It’s a message of resilience, showing that even in tough times, they hold on to their dignity and hope.
You can contribute to this ever expanding If I Must Die - Refaat Alareer playlist in many languages and voices? • If I Must Die by Refaa...
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Gerhard Erasmus - Afrikaans/ Sondra and Ivory - Taiwanese (also called Min Nan Yu or Hokkien)/ Emily and Marco - Mandarin Chinese
If I Must Die - Dr Refaat Alareer
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.