I wrote this poem as a farewell to my uncle Omar Amiralay, a world class documentary movies director, who passed away in Damascus, Syria, after a heart attack Saturday February 5, 2011. The poem includes a lot of references to the movies of Omar and what he stands for, so it would be useful to read about him to understand the poem.
Farewell to a Brave Man
Omar Amiralay (1944-2011)
By Tarif Youssef Agha
Oh Omar, today I can’t find
Words which can do the farewell to you
As the family is still in denial that you, forever, left
And the tears of your lovers are still divided between believing and not
***
Oh Omar, you always have been the land mark of our family
But your art was also a land mark in the world
The art that you always were genius in
Was top of the line and attracted the press to write about
***
Oh Omar, you always have been a tower in our family
Which we always were proud of among others
A symbol that we loved what it stood for,
And an example of perfection and excellence
***
Oh Omar, the man with the noble look
The heart’s photo is reflected at the face
You always have been the principles’ guard and shepherd
And whenever the consciousnesses get sick, they seek you for cure
***
Oh Omar, your words were like those of a leader,
Your silence was like that of a dervish,
Your calmness was like that of a clergy,
And your thinking was like that of a gifted
***
Oh Omar, God gave you a talent
Which no one had any doubt about
A talent that was denied only by those who were ignorant, resentful or jealous,
But recognized by those who were known as just
***
You created hurricanes from your position behind the camera,
Videoed the bare realty without any extras,
And always refused to add makeup to your films
In black and white, you were just magnificent
***
You always raised the flag of reform,
Documented the ugliness of corruption,
Established the foundation of braveness,
And rejected the shame of giving away
***
Your dictionary never included ‘principles’ compromising’,
And your manner never needed a witness or granter
You never needed a recommendation from any one,
As your moral wasn’t something which comes and goes
***
You listened to the powerless and interviewed the powerful,
Pursued the Mercedes rider and the donkey rider (a movie),
Asked the first one how he got the Mercedes,
And asked the second whether he knew the color of the day
***
You and some of your friends were the knights,
You put your hands on the wounds,
And recommended the remedy,
Nothing stopped you; neither being pushed aside or being threatened
***
No one was ‘a big deal’ for you,
You made the man with the golden sandal mad (a movie),
Questioned the prime minister (a movie),
And you wrote an epic at the banks of the Euphrates (a movie)
***
You created a drama from the daily life of a village (a movie),
Felt sorry for the chickens, wept over the lost Qunaitera city (movies)
Discovered why love was doomed in Egypt (movie),
And found benefits for some people in the misfortunes of others
***
Some people said that you were singing outside the flock
They encouraged you to sing with the majority,
And offered you benefits if you agreed to do so,
But you ignored them and never asked about their benefits
***
Then they said that you liked to oppose
And that your success without them was hopeless
But, even thought, you managed to reach the top of the pyramid
Their expectations scored poor grades
***
February 2011, Houston, Texas