J. Gwyn Griffiths
There Are Limits to Brotherly Love
There are limits to brotherly love, as I've observed more than once.
There was an earthquake in Eastern Turkey
with an entire village scattered into the desolate hill-country
and thousands buried under rocks and rubble
with no hope of escape.
Help came, to be fair, from all points of the compass
and planes flew in laden down
with food and clothing and medicines
to help the wretched survivors
and get the weak back on their feet.
Yet there, on the ground, there was a curious bottleneck
with the Turkish Government slow to act
where the world had been quick.
At last the reason emerged:
these victims weren't Turks
but Kurds
and Kurds to the Government
were Nationalists and Separatists,
Freedom fanatics,
accursed extremists.
Hellfire,
they didn't deserve to be helped!
Jesus, in your limitless and overflowing love,
take pity on mankind.
Make another earthquake happen
and raze to the ground
the mountain that spits flames of prejudice and oppression,
the Vesuvius in the heart of man.
Welsh; trans. Richard Poole
J. Gwyn Griffiths, Welsh, trans. Richard Poole.