The Aircraft of the 25th Hour
A scene of Apocalypse when barely in flight,
Fire in electric sky, a hideous sight,
An explosion tremendous and parts far and wide,
A blinding light from the shore espied.
Now it was night, and, just off the ground,
The travelers relaxed and calmly looked around.
With no care for the storm that raged in the dark,
They thought of their plans when they disembark.
Little they knew of the terrible fate
That destiny held for them lying in wait.
The devil was there in the storm and the hail
Preparing destruction on hideous scale,
To take away loved ones and innocent souls
To the music of Hell and the thunderous rolls.
The dark bowl of night was torn by a streak
Of lightning that flashed through the tempest’s shriek.
An icy cold wind that threw the craft back
Rain crashing down which made everything black.
One second more of the flight was enough
As they veered to the South in the darkening gulf,
And then beneath a starry sky
Safely to Africa they could fly.
But now came the horror, men on the shoreline
They saw one ball of fire plunge down to the brine.
Then there was silence that cast its cloak
Till round the world the wireless waves spoke.
Hearts contracted and minds went numb
For in the dark storm no searchers could come.
No hope of survivors, just corpses washed in.
Families, friends and kind helpers in dread
To hospitals, airport and agencies sped,
Hoping some miracle bringing relief
But no news came to lessen their grief.
Before God, before death, all share the same fate
The poor and the rich, the low and the great.
Richest employers and servants all shared
The same tragic end, for no one was spared,
The same cold, dark waters burial gave
No flowers there were to brighten the grave.
Love and emotion and sorrow and joy,
Energy, sloth, what man’s nature can show,
Are found in Ethiopia despite its distress,
The star of the Negus which did Africa bless.
The Queen of Saba from here did go
To see King Solomon who did everything know;
She hoped to bring back a child in her womb
To be legendary monarch in whom wisdom did bloom.
In several lands the mourners grieve
For the dead they can’t receive
But hope that search will bring to light
Their loved ones who were lost that night,
For burial in familiar tomb
With the rites known of their home.
Whole families have suffered loss
Of father, child, or much-loved spouse.
To the mortuary they crowd
Hoping their dear ones are found.
Mothers and new widows weep
For lost ones whom the waves still keep.
All the Mountain mourns its seed
And those of kindly Afric breed,
Gentle, trustful, serving friends
Which Ethiopia’s mountain sends.
Each human is a flame that more strongly burns
When emotion enter deep, so higher up it turns.
Human beings all, who traveled in the hull
Though I know you not, I mourn you like the gull
That swoops above the sea-swept grave
And gives a mournful cry borne far beyond the wave.
Is it hunger alone that makes them glide and soar?
Or do they wish to help those standing by the shore?
In helpless desperation these people stand and stare
At breakers in the blackness that drown out their despair.
Our Army shows its courage and sends down its elite
To search ‘neath raging waters, heroic is their feat.
These divers go on searching under every rock and stone
Weeks pass bringing bodies that their names be known.
Many more remain plunged in storm-swept dark
Families upon the shore watch each returning bark.
They see the work that’s going on and stay in cold and rain
But they have faith and in due time their strength will regain.
The victims here in waters chill pass to another shore
And meet united there together, in joy for evermore.
Those who’ve left us here will be received on high,
‘Tis we who stay on earth who weep and deeply sigh,
Then life continues here and work has to be done,
So courage we all need for effort new begun.
French by Joseph Matar – Translation: K.J. Mortimer
