Rimbaud’s Beach
Rimbaud’s Beach is only a mile from the “Elephant Trunk”
where dolphins leap up laughing and Russian women twirl,
where Goldmore Road stretches, and beer like water flows,
where sailors drown among the nymphs.
I was there secretly, observing a blind lighthouse,
watched how the seaweed swayed with the waves.
Aden held a star on her forehead, strove to lift
a bolder off of the oppressed Arabs’ chests.
Is Rimbaud’s Beach still there stretched long
and shimmering in the red setting sun,
like a lighthouse flaunting its light, free, unmatched?
Are there any women swimming in the tranquil sea?
Aden is now gone, and we are finished too.
Let’s ask: What were we then, and who?
(Translated from the Arabic by Khaled Mattawa)
Hold the powerful to account by supporting The Nation
The chaos and cruelty of the Trump administration reaches new lows each week.
Trump’s catastrophic “Liberation Day” has wreaked havoc on the world economy and set up yet another constitutional crisis at home. Plainclothes officers continue to abduct university students off the streets. So-called “enemy aliens” are flown abroad to a mega prison against the orders of the courts. And Signalgate promises to be the first of many incompetence scandals that expose the brutal violence at the core of the American empire.
At a time when elite universities, powerful law firms, and influential media outlets are capitulating to Trump’s intimidation, The Nation is more determined than ever before to hold the powerful to account.
In just the last month, we’ve published reporting on how Trump outsources his mass deportation agenda to other countries, exposed the administration’s appeal to obscure laws to carry out its repressive agenda, and amplified the voices of brave student activists targeted by universities.
We also continue to tell the stories of those who fight back against Trump and Musk, whether on the streets in growing protest movements, in town halls across the country, or in critical state elections—like Wisconsin’s recent state Supreme Court race—that provide a model for resisting Trumpism and prove that Musk can’t buy our democracy.
This is the journalism that matters in 2025. But we can’t do this without you. As a reader-supported publication, we rely on the support of generous donors. Please, help make our essential independent journalism possible with a donation today.
In solidarity,
The Editors
The Nation