Lawrence Ferlinghetti - Pity the Nation

[lourak]

Ferlinghetti handles words well - but - how trite, and how philosophically sophomoric!

[hartistry]

He looks like he is around my age.

Dave Hart

[tarrera2005]

How could he know it will happen to Hungary in 2010??!! In the exact same order!

[TheLebaneseSoul]

"Pity the Nation" is the original poem by the Lebanese poet Jibran Khalil Jibran

[TheLebaneseSoul]

"Pity the Nation" is the original poem by the Lebanese poet Jibran Khalil Jibran

[emeraldcityvideos]

he's describing obama...

[rkc010]

He's describing every president.And those that led the colonies.

[yourlostlittlegirl]

Him and allen ginsberg <333

[danitiz]

This is from Gibran Khalil he was a lebanese american poet

[moshtarakman]

I don't think he was American, just Lebanese

[JonahW55]

i honestly never really listen to poetry, and i think some of it is just bs, but this poem has alot of truth to it

[Fuzzy192006]

@JonahW55

We're all very glad that you approve. Your opinion means a lot. Honestly.

[emberlivingood]

I listen, and I wonder, when will our own voices will rise up?

[buchananstreet]

he said it all

[whizbang47]

He's the real laureate, in my view.

[madzndean]

Amazing peom, thank you for sharing.

[purespirit9]

Great poem! 5/5

[Slavesrevolt]

Pity the pyramid scheme that sells lies and dreams for your tax dollars and your children's lives.

[aemo501]

Wow! Pity the liars, great poem, thanks.

[bigeeezy]

nice to see him again. an icon

[primal111]

orgonite the sheep then you get men, orgonite the leaders then you get real people...orgonite the evil then you get the good...dont orgonite anything and stay vailed..your choice...bbbbaaaa bbbaaa

[alfredosauce1]

Nice! This poem is his own re-make of "Pity the Nation" an older poem by the Lebanese poet named Khalil Gibran

[Tali999]

Thanks, you got me to look it up :)

Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of religion.

Pity the nationt hat wears a cloth it does not weave,

eats a bread it does not harvest,

and drinks a wine that flows not from its own wine-press.

Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as hero,

and that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful.

Pity a nation that despises a passion in its dream,

yet submits in its awakening.

[jschlei2]

Thanks. You got me to read the original

[Tali999]

my pleasure! :)

[Tali999]

Pity the nation that raises not its voice save when it walks in a funeral, boasts not except among its ruins, and will rebel not save when its neck is laid between the sword and the block. Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox, whose philosopher is a juggler, and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking. Pity the nation that welcomes its new ruler with trumpeting, and farewells him with hooting, only to welcome another with trumpeting again.

[Tali999]

Pity the nation whose sages are dumb with years

and whose strong men are yet in the cradle.

Pity the nation divided into into fragments,

each fragment deeming itself a nation.

[gahm707]

god. i love that man...

[XxWaveWarlockxX]

Damn.