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The Syrian Child

By September 8, 2015No Comments

في الطفل السوري
The Syrian Child
 
 

عجِبتُ للبحرِ إذ يُلقيكَ مُنفرِدا … ويرحلُ الموجُ عن جَنْبَيكَ مُبتعِدا
I was amazed at the ocean that left you like that. All alone.
Even the waves have departed far from your side
 
 

أخالهُ واجماً من هولِ صدْمَتِهِ … أو لائماً نَفْسَهُ إذ لم يَمُدَّ يدا
I thought perhaps he is in shock at the great grief he has seen
Or perhaps he blames himself for not putting out his hand to help
 
 

أو جاء معتذراً مما ألَمَّ بهِ … ويُشهِدُ الأرضَ في قتلاهُ ما قصدا
Or perhaps he was remorseful about what had happened within him
Wanting to establish witnesses on Earth, that he had not intended to kill
 
 

كأنه مُشفِقّ أدى رسالتَهُ … يعاتبُ البَرَّ والإنسانَ والبلدا
Like a sincere one just delivering his message
He approached: land, mankind, civilisation
 
 

جلبْتَهُ سالماً من قَعْرِ مُظلِمةٍ … ليرقدَ الْيَوْمَ بالشطآنِ مُلتَحِدا
You brought him sound, from the middle of darkness
So he will sleep on the shore, and make it finally to his grave
 
 

احْفَظْهُ يا بَرُّ فالأجيالُ قادمةٌ … كيما ترى بائعَ الأوطانِ ما حَصَدا
Please, land, protect this body for the generations to come
So that those who sold their nations will see what they have harvested
 
 

حتى يكونَ على الأيامِ ملحمةً … تُردِدُ الأمُّ فحواها ومن وَلَدا
So that it will be the story of our time
repeated for ever, by all mothers, and fathers likewise
 
 

ولا أُراهُ إذا زاروه يرمقهم … فما رأى سائلاً منهم ولا مدَدا
Don’t think that when the people visit him, that he will even look at them
For he never heard them asking about him before, or giving him any support
 
 

أكبَّ للأرضِ حيث الأمُّ قد فُقِدَت … وأطرقَ الطَّرفَ إغضاءً لِما شَهِدا
So he placed his face on the Earth, looking out to where he lost his mother
And he has not looked at anyone else, out of shame as to what he has seen
 
 

كي لا يَرَى باكياً منهم إذا قدِموا … فدمعُهم كاذبٌ لا شكَّ إن وُجِدا
Let no-one cry about him as they come
Their tears are a lie, no doubt, if they even exist at all
 
 

وما عسى دمعُهم يوماً سينفعُه … إذا دَعَتْهُ جنانُ الخلدِ لو وَفَدا
What kind of benefit will their tears have for him anyway
When the Eternal Heavens call him, when he goes to it
 
 

لا باركَ اللهُ في الأشرارِ قاطبةً … وأنجز اللهُ في بشارَ ما وعدا
May Allah never bless the evil people, all of them
And may Allah see out His threat against Bashar as promised

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