Khatun Riding By

by Peter Wyton

Gertrude Bell, 1868-1926, buried at Bab Al-Sharji cemetery, Baghdad.

Al Khatun:‘A lady of the court who keeps open eye and ear for the benefit of the state.’

She made Iraq, and we have made it hell,
Spin-doctor of Arabia, Gertrude Bell,
The restless energy of a gazelle
At peace now in the ravaged citadel
Beside the Tigris which she loved so well,
Visionary of her generation,
Linguist, intriguer without parallel,
She made Iraq, and we have made it hell.

Too long the Arabs were a bagatelle
Disdained by every major nation,
Then she and T.E. Lawrence brewed a spell
Betokening self-determination,
A dream they could not ultimately sell
To their own masters. Humiliation,
Followed by ill-health, exasperation,
Obliged her to retire into her shell,
Spin-doctor of Arabia, Gertrude Bell.

The great and good attended her farewell,
The huge museum, her inspiration
Stands as her legacy, her sentinel.
Spin-doctor of Arabia, Gertrude Bell.
She made Iraq, and we have made it hell.

This poem was first published in Not All Not All Men Are From Mars which is in support of Women's Aid, a British charity which supports female victims of domestic violence & their children. Available here: http://www.myspace.com/peterwytonpoet