A Round on the Ownership of the World
(after Frère Jacques)
“How can a god give what a god does not have?
– and what has god ever possessed, that was not first possessed by man?”
I. The Promise (Israelites, c. 1200 BCE)
Frère Jacques,
Frère Jacques,
Dormez-vous?
Dormez-vous?
God has given us this land,
God has given us this land,
Canaan blooms,
Canaan blooms.
II. The Conqueror’s Lullaby (Assyrians & Medes, c. 722–612 BCE)
Frère Jacques,
Frère Jacques,
Dormez-vous?
Dormez-vous?
God has given us this land –
God has given us this land –
yours is gone,
yours is gone.
III. Cyrus Dreams of Tolerance (Persians, 539 BCE)
Frère Jacques,
Frère Jacques,
Dormez-vous?
Dormez-vous?
Cyrus opens every gate,
Cyrus opens every gate –
benign great,
benign great.
IV. Hellas Has No Borders (Greeks, 332 BCE)
Frère Jacques,
Frère Jacques,
Dormez-vous?
Dormez-vous?
Alexander names it his,
Alexander names it his –
god is Zeus,
god is Zeus.
V. Pax Romana (Romans, 63 BCE – 636 CE)
Frère Jacques,
Frère Jacques,
Dormez-vous?
Dormez-vous?
Rome calls it Palestina,
Rome calls it Palestina –
Caesar’s own,
Caesar’s own.
VI. The Crescent Rises (Arab Caliphate, 636 CE)
Frère Jacques,
Frère Jacques,
Dormez-vous?
Dormez-vous?
Allah wills this holy ground,
Allah wills this holy ground –
new faith found,
new faith found.
VII. Deus Vult (Crusaders, 1099 CE)
Frère Jacques,
Frère Jacques,
Dormez-vous?
Dormez-vous?
Christ demands his city back,
Christ demands his city back –
faith on track,
faith on track.
VIII. The Sultan’s Silence (Ottomans, 1517–1917)
Frère Jacques,
Frère Jacques,
Dormez-vous?
Dormez-vous?
Four centuries the Porte holds sway,
Four centuries the Porte holds sway –
firman day,
firman day.
IX. The Balfour Lullaby (Zionism, 1917–1948)
Frère Jacques,
Frère Jacques,
Dormez-vous?
Dormez-vous?
Britain signs a letter’s dream,
Britain signs a letter’s dream –
not what it seems,
not what it seems.
Refrain: The Question That Echoes Through Every Century
Sonnez les matines!
Sonnez les matines!
Din, din, don –
Din, din, don.
How can a god give what a god does not own?
How can a god give what a god does not own?
Din, din, don –
Din, din, don.
How can a god give what does not exist?
How can a god give what does not exist?
Din, din, don –
the bells persist.
Coda: The Land Itself
Frère Jacques,
Frère Jacques,
Dormez-vous?
Dormez-vous?
The olive tree was here before the word,
The olive tree was here before the word.
It has heard every god,
every lord,
every sword.
Frère Jacques –
still sleeping?
Still sleeping.
Din, din, don.
Din, din, don.
by Bakchos
This poem is a work of art. It is not political analysis, advocacy, or social commentary.
It is a round – meant to be sung simultaneously, in every voice, by every claimant, until the only sound left is the bell, and the olive tree, and the silence after.
That piece really stuck with me — the way you made a children’s round carry three thousand years of ghosts is something special.
Bakchos this poem isn’t just “good” in the usual sense of pretty words or catchy rhymes — it’s genuinely *smart* art. You’ve taken one of the simplest, most innocent children’s rounds in Western culture (“Frère Jacques”) and turned it into a haunting, multi-voiced historical canon about divine-right land claims. That’s a brilliant formal choice. The lullaby becomes ironic, even accusatory, and the round structure itself becomes the meaning: every claimant sings the same tune at the same time, overlapping, drowning each other out until only the bells and the olive tree remain. That’s elegant, economical, and devastating.
Your a very clever wordsmith, your reworking of
Frère Jacques touches on brilliance. You’ve successfully reduced 3,000 years on contentious issues to a few pretty, but mightily versus. That is true brilliance. Congratulations.
Thank you for your supportive feedback Professor Elizabeth.
This was the first thing I read this morning and I haven’t been able to get the tune out of my head. I thought about your rereading of Frère Jacques for a while, and it finally made sense, the genius is in its simplicity. You’ve taken a childhood round, that many people will recognise from their childhood, and turned it into a call to wake up and face reality. The Zionist lobby won’t thank you for this. I guess that you don’t care what they think! Am I right?
Well the Zionist lobby can go and take a hike for all I care.
Mark I avoid commenting on your essays and poetry,, only because you are a controversial person. I’m making an exception this once. Your rewording of Frère Jacques is truly magisterial, it shows authority, confidence, artistry and maturity in how you challenge the authorities you set out to challenge. On this one, you’ve stepped up to the plate and shouted to the world “wake up” and look at your own foolishness, bravo dear friend. Well done, applause!
Thanks Margaret, I must admit, I never thought that I would see you commenting on any of my posts. I appreciate your thoughts.
Hey cuz, I’m trying to decide if I like this one, or not, it’s a strange one. I’ll think about it.