Gamil Abdul Nasser
President of Egypt.
1918- 1970
The postman’s wife gave birth to child,
Beni Morr village didn’t go wild,
another boy of peasant stock,
a scruffy urchin running amok.
No one saw no one cared,
whom young Gamils thoughts were shared,
an active mind he noticed things,
golden bangles, golden rings.
From boy to youth with incumbent desire,
the military academy he did aspire,
with alacrity of mind the youth was blessed,
the officer class he quickly addressed.
As Major Nasser he first saw war,
when UN proposals they did ignore,
partition was offered the Arabs refused,
Israel from then belonged to the Jews.
Egyptians, Syrians, Jordanians attacked,
all three armies Jews quickly sacked,
a complete calamity was the '48 war,
the Jews gained more land than catered for.
After this shocking military defeat,
Nasser advocated officers meet,
radical change was planned in the land,
a coup d'etat with Nequib in command.
Two kings they removed to clear the way,
then declared a republic would hold sway,
the removal of Nequib they had to arrange,
he was not in favour of radical change.
And so at last ‘Al Rayess’ emerged,
with agrarian reform he quickly surged,
more equality he certainly achieved,
removing the British to which we agreed.
Alas his great weakness was Israel,
Fedayeen attacks would never prevail,
in ‘56 his skin was saved,
for U.S. intervention he must have prayed.
I'n '67 he had to resign,
his military prowess was proved benign.
the West Bank, Gaza, Golan Heights and all,
his air force reduced to a fireball.
But luck indeed favours the brave,
the Arab people his skin would save,
rallying round when needed most,
breathing life into a military ghost.
In 1970 El Rayess would die,
the whole Arab world was seen to cry,
the postman’s son had died so young ,
in his short life liberation had sprung.
Mistakes he made he would concede,
but beloved Egypt had to bleed,
the canal closed for eight long years,
he must have been close to tears.
jb. El Gamil Club.[Al Rayess/ Jamal]
other names for him.
Fedayeen- Egyptian Commandos
