I Have No Power

'I have no power to change you
or explain your ways
Never believe a man can change a woman
Those men are pretenders
who think
that they created woman
from one of their ribs
Woman does not emerge from a man's rib's, not ever,
it's he who emerges from her womb
like a fish rising from depths of water
and like streams that branch away from a river
It's he who circles the sun of her eyes
and imagines he is fixed in place

I have no power to tame you
or domesticate you
or mitigate your first instincts
This task is impossible
I've tested my intelligence on you
also my dumbness
Nothing worked with you, neither guidance
nor temptation
Stay primitive as you are

I have no power to break your habits
for thirty years you have been like this
for three hundred years
a storm trapping in a bottle
a body by nature sensing the scent of a man
assaults it by nature
triumphs over it by nature

Never believe what a man says about himself
that he is the one who makes the poems
and makes the children
It is the woman who writes the poems
and the man who signs his name to them
It is the woman who bears the children
and the man who signs at the maternity hospital
that he is the father

I have no power to change your nature
my books are of no use to you
and my convictions do not convince you
nor does my fatherly council do you any good
you are the queen of anarchy, of madness, of belonging
to no one
Stay that way
You are the tree of femininity that grows in the dark
needs no sun or water
you the sea princess who has loved all men
and loved no one
slept with all men… and slept with no one
you are the Bedouin woman who went with all the tribes
and returned a virgin
Stay that way.'
------------------Nizar Qabban
I have no power
Nizar Qabban
***

                                                          Sometimes people change to impress the ones they love but, in this case people cannot change because they are forced to. After reading the poem "I have no power" by "Nizar Qabban" I believe that the idea is that the speaker wants to tell the world that a man can not change a women and control her she is an individual with her own personality. This is best portrayed when in the beginning of the poem the speaker says "'I have no power to change you, or explain your ways, Never believe a man can change a woman, Those men are pretenders, who think that they created woman from one of their ribs" this best portrays how men even though they are strong they are not able to control a woman or change her own personality. I think that the speaker in the poem is the poet because through the poem the speaker keeps saying "I" and the "I" is written from the poet who must be the speaker. Also when the speaker (the poet) says "I have no power to tame you or domesticate you" he explains how he is not able to control her like an animal. This as well proves that the speaker is a male because in the real world usually men marry woman and in this case the speaker might be talking about his wife.When the speaker lastly says "I have no power to change your nature, my books are of no use to you, and my convictions do not convince you,, nor does my fatherly council do you any good you are the queen of anarchy, of madness, of belonging to no one" this lastly illuminate show the speaker here explains that that he has no power to change the woman's habits and personality  He tells her things and tries to control her but she doesn't listen and remains strong doing what she thinks is right like a queen of anarchy. The speakers's tone sounds calm and serious because through the poem the use of diction such as "I,no and power" which is used thought the poem best shows that the speaker is calm but, at the same time series.  I also think that the use of diction in the poem makes the poem be cheerful.powerful and serious because when the speaker says the words "you, stay, way, no,one,to,belonging, never and believe it makes the poem feel powerful and serious.(HOMEWORK 3/24/13)