Muhammad Mahdi al-Jawahiri Poetry Tribute Festival 2017
We have come to you, Baghdad, so stand tall
For the sake of a noble and generous people
Enough of their woes, time
If I were to speak of them,
My anger would overwhelm me
We have come to you after oppression,
From a journey
To plant poetry in books
The captivating jewel
Is carried by a name
That boasts of lineage throughout life
No, it has not died, it still accompanies us
Like water accompanies the clouds
I fear the remnants of treachery will veil it
Can it be veiled? Creativity? Amazing!
I heard a voice I mistook for a melody,
So, I said: O Damascus, rejoice!
This is my father,
From the day the ear of the nights heard
The cry of the meteors,
"Mahdi," and the Lord protected him
Despite the harm from the informer
And the fool.
O nation led by an idol,
Draw near to the mercy of the Judge.
There are no peoples who have not tasted pain,
But they rose from the flames.
Their history... their glories are literature,
Except you, O our Arab history.
My people...
And are my people anything but sheep
For slaughter, like cockroaches? Terrified
If the sun rises on my homeland
The rulers will assassinate it with lies
If I had even a quarter of the power
I would set them ablaze with fire and wood
You are the Great One, O Muhammad,
Shall I be butted upon wood?
No, I will not measure a stature
That has captivated
My heart,
And before which my domes have settled
You were far from your home,
Do you know that I carry my weariness?
Wherever I turn, my exile is pain
Oh, how I wish you would come to my exile
Our titles... I wish they were erased
For poetry is lost today in the title
You are "Al-Jawahiri"... You are here
More precious than diamonds and gold
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