21 pages • 42 minutes read
Jerusalem
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Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
"Arabic" by Naomi Shihab Nye (1994)
In “Arabic,” Shihab Nye explores her relationship to the language of her father. She does not speak it fluently, and her cab driver says that unless you do, you do not understand pain. It is a way of exploring the pain that many Arabs feel because of the grievous situation they have been in. Characteristically, Shihab Nye ends the poem by expanding the concepts out to all people of the world, saying that when she shouts “pain” people stop “in every language” (Lines 33-34).
"Kindness" by Naomi Shihab Nye (1995)
This is one of Shihab Nye’s most read and anthologized poems. As in “Jerusalem,” she expresses a desire for unity and understanding. Her refrain, that “before you know kindness you must know” various degrees of suffering, suggests that the response to acts of hostility and war should be met not with retaliation but with an increased desire to love and understand one another, seeing that we are all alike.
"One Boy Told Me" by Naomi Shihab Nye (1998)
In addition to being a poet who can speak intimately about the Middle East, Shihab Nye is also known for her work with children. She anthologized many books of poetry for children and works to bring them to the art form. Many of her poems reflect what she has learned from them. This poem is a much more light-hearted telling of what she has learned from her own son, based on what he told her as he was growing up. It represents one of Shihab Nye’s many voices, yet the themes of love, curiosity, and tenderness are as apparent here as in many of her more serious poems.
Further Literary Resources
"Sun Valley Writer’s Conference" Interview with Naomi Shihab Nye (2021)
The Sun Valley Writer’s Conference is held every year. In 2021 Naomi Shihab Nye talks with Marcia Franklin about how she became a writer and how she uses poetry to reach out and invite others in. She also discusses her response to 9-11 and what she learned from her father about the conflicts in the Middle East. Up to his dying day, he was optimistic that people would eventually get over the conflict and find peace.
In this Vimeo clip, Shihab Nye reads several poems that come from her book Tender Spot (BloodAxe Books, 2008). The title is a phrase from the poem “Jerusalem,” and many of the poems she reads intersect with it, including “The Only Democracy in the Middle East,” in which she depicts what it was like for Palestinians when Israel became a country and kicked them off of their land.
Listen to Poem
This is a short clip of Elliott batTzedek reading “Jerusalem.” She heard Naomi Shihab Nye read this poem at Split This Rock, an organization of poets against war. They hold festivals and promote poetry that is politically engaged. The title “Split This Rock” is a poem by Langston Hughes, who writes that he is going to “Split this rock wide,” meaning that he is going to crack open a feeling of oppression and open society to freedom of expression for people of all races, colors, and creeds.
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By Naomi Shihab Nye
