We are publishing here an unofficial translation of a poem and its text which was published on La Cause du Peuple.
The following poem is about the struggle of the poor peasants in Brazil. For several months, peasants led by the League of Poor Peasants (LCP in Portuguese) have been fighting against the encirclement of Manoel Ribeiro's camp. This camp brought together peasant families who had regained control of land and farms in the state of Rondônia. For months they were threatened by armed militias and mercenaries sent by the reactionary Brazilian state to crush any resistance. But the peasants did not give in! On the 28th of May, the newspaper A Nova Democracia reported that the camp had been emptied by the peasants, foiling the state's plans for a massacre. A banner was left at the site that read, "We will come back stronger and better prepared!". This poem in French celebrates the Brazilian peasants' struggle for their land and for agrarian revolution. It is a tribute to Zé Bentão, one of the founders of the LCP in Rondônia, who also composed songs.
As the song says, in homage to Zé Bentão
Tyranny melts in the sun
From the branches that rise,
Strong, reddish legions
That awaken the dream
Of a life without misery;
The land to the peasants,
Let's kick out the landowners
Who suck our blood.
As the song goes:
Deixa este povo passar
Com a bandeira da Revolução,
When life will be ours with certainty,
Com a Aliança Operário-Camponesa.
(Let these people pass,
With the flag of the revolution,
For victory will surely be ours,
With the Workers-Peasants Alliance)
There the families are gathered
That the vultures think to frighten
While the shells shine
The peasants' sky is lit up
In Santa Elina they already fought
So that Camp Manoel Ribeiro
Stands up and hears the song
The shouts of joy all the way to Rio.
As the song goes:
Deixa este povo passar
Com a bandeira da Revolução,
When the window is surely ours,
Com a Aliança Operário-Camponesa.
(Let these people pass,
With the flag of the revolution,
For victory will surely be ours,
With the workers-peasants alliance)
