Commemorating Saïd Akl at Dr. Bahia Abou Hamad's Salon
O "Akl," you are the letter
And the word were it not for you,
Nations would not have heard of us
From the tear of the grape cluster,
You crafted for us great poetry
That even generosity feared
O "Zahle," you were the dream on a journey
That circled the world... the foot did not tire
This is "Saïd," his voice is a lesson
Even the deaf listen to it
His poems, his literature, a mountain
Where meters and melodies are frequented
Cadmus conversed with the letter,
And the hands of humanity embraced
What wisdom had wrought
You honoured him, you gave him joy
Until the peaks crumbled before him
O Jerusalem, a star cried out, shining
Fairuz... when the pyramid applauded
Jerusalem is lost, our people are sheep
Out of fear, even sheep would be ashamed
You sang Makkah, its people, rose high
Above the Pleiades...
Its light is the Sacred Precinct
Tell me: Why does a homeland end
Where proverbs and values lived?
Our Lebanon, O "Akl,"
You are its shield,
Why does the idol rule?
Look at it... its face is disgust
And lava erupts in its jaws
We have despaired of our dispersal
Weariness has enveloped us in exile
Look at us, our gray hair is regret
Have mercy... Regret may be of no use
No, you did not die,
You did not come from nothingness
When nothingness embraced you, it awoke
You are still alive among us forever
O cedar, by which knowledge is sweet
**
