World Leaders' Favourite Poems: A Book of Peace Book

Introduction Micheline Calmy-Rey Calmy-Rey, Micheline 1

Preface Mehmet Basci Basci, Mehmet 3

The Poems

Switzerland: Pascal Couchepin

Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions John Donne Donne, John 7

Great Britain: Gordon Brown

The Hands of Others James Stockinger Stockinger, James 11

Sri Lanka: Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga

Pity the Nation Kahlil Gibran Gibran, Kahlil 15

Croatia: Stjepan Mesic

Small Fruit Tree after Rain Dobrisa Cesaric Cesaric, Dobrisa 19

Nauru: Ludwig Derangadage Scotty

Pinnacles Exposed Ludwig Scotty Scotty, Ludwig 23

Northern Ireland: Ian Paisley

Worlds of Remembrance and Resolve T. T. Shields Shields, T. T. 27

Bolivia: Carlos Diego Mesa Gisbert

The Game of Chess Jorge Luis Borges Borges, Jorge Luis 31

Azerbaijan: Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev

Azerbaijan Samad Vurgun Vurgun, Samad 35

Finland: Matti Vanhanen

The Squirrel Aleksis Kivi Kivi, Aleksis 41

India: A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

The Life Tree Abdul Kalam Kalam, Abdul 45

Namibia: Sam Nujoma

Comrade Sam Nujoma Mvula ya Nangolo Nangolo, Mvula ya 51

Argentina: Nestor Kirchner

The Just Jorge Luis Borges Borges, Jorge Luis 55

Belgium: Guy Verhofstadt

This Fernando Pessoa Pessoa, Fernando 59

Northern Ireland: Gerry Adams

The Lake Isle of Innisfree William Butler Yeats Yeats, William Butler 63

Germany: Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schroder

Luxemburg: Jean-Claude Juncker

The Panther Rainer Maria Rilke Rilke, Rainer Maria 67

Spain: Jose Maria Aznar Lopez

If Rudyard Kipling Kipling, Rudyard 71

Malaysia: Abdul Hamid Pawanteh

Ode: Intimations of Immortalily From Recollections of Early Childhood WilliamWordsworth Wordsworth, William 75

Great Britain: Tony Blair

The Soldier Rupert Brooke Brooke, Rupert 85

Mexico: Vicente Fox

Sweet Land Ramon Lopez Velarde Velarde, Ramon Lopez 89

Sweden: Hans Goran Persson

The Path on Which You are Walking Alone Par Lagerkvist Lagerkvist, Par 99

Wales: Rhodri Morgan

Pwllderi Dewi Emrys Emrys, Dewi 103

Israel: Ariel Sharon

We are Both from the Same Village Naomi Shemer Shemer, Naomi 109

Denmark: Anders Fogh Rasmussen

Living in the Moment Piet Hein Hein, Piet 113