(Ahmed Fouad Negm, rallies attendants during a public meeting organized by the opposition movement ‘Writers and Artists for Change’ in Cairo in 2005. curtsey CNN)

This is special edition of my weekly Egypt’s report dedicated to the legendary Egyptian poet Ahmad Fouad Negm who passed away on December 3. Negm was, and still is my favorite Egyptian poet.  Hope you like this collection

• Prince Claus Award for Ahmad Fouad Negm.
• Zeinobia ‘s tribute for Negm, and his funeral
• Rawyia Rageh’s  2002 profile for the AP of Egypt’s iconic poet Ahmed Fouad Negm
• Al-Jazeera English’s 2012 documentary of Ahmed Fouad Negm
• Kareem Fahim writes in the New York Times: Ahmed Fouad Negm, dissident poet of Egypt’s underclass, dies at 84
• Washington Post’s piece about Negm
• Raphael Cormack’s obituary of Negm

Finally, here is one of Negm’s famous poems translated by Walaa Quisay at Revolutionary Arabic Poetry

 (What’s wrong with our president?)

English Translation

I never fret, and will always say

A word, for which, I am responsible

That the president is a compassionate man

Constantly, busy working for his people

Busy, gathering their money

Outside, in Switzerland, saving it for us

In secret bank accounts

Poor guy, looking out for our future

Can’t you see his kindly heart?

In faith and good conscience

He only starves you; so you’d lose the weight

O what a people! In need of a diet

O the ignorance! You talk of “unemployment”

And how condition have become dysfunctional

The man just wants to see you rested

Since when was rest such a burden???

And this talk of the resorts

Why do they call them political prisons??

Why do you have to be so suspicious?

He just wants you to have some fun

With regards to “The Chair[1]”

It is without a doubt

All our fault!!

Couldn’t we buy him a Taflon Chair?

I swear, you mistreated the poor man

He wasted his life away, and for what?

Even your food, he eats it for you!

Devouring all that’s in his way.

[1]  Power