Oh Syria, when does Peace return to you?

Oh Syria, when does Peace return to you?

By Tarif Youssef Agha

When do the Pharaoh, his companions, and his soldiers drown in the sea?

And when will we see his allies dead?

Happen to them what happened to (the nations of) Ad and Thamud

Oh Syria, forgive us, but don’t blame us,

We started it peacefully before we pulled our swords

We started it peacefully, but they fired bullets at us,

We got tired of living in chains

Don’t ask us why we exploded, as you know why,

They made you a jail for us, a jail whose gates were the borders

They opened in it a slaughter house, where we were the sheep

They forced us to bow for them, day and night

They made life in you a disgrace,

Where the pigs claim to be lions

They humiliated us, jailed, us and sent us a message:

If you leave, don’t come back

They made returning to you a nightmare,

The one who comes back disappears, and the one who leaves is a new born

They sold the land to the enemies, and guarded for them,

They betrayed the people, and turned their back to the promises

They burned the country, and, Oh Syria,

We will not go home before we make them pay the price

We will tell the world that we are free, but not slaves,

We will make everyone, near or far, be our witness

***

A Poem translation

(Can be shared without permission)

By Tarif Youssef-Agha

An Expatriate Arab Syrian Writer & Poet

Member of the ‘Syrian Revolutionary Writers Assembly’

Friday June10, 2016, Houston, Texas

http://sites.google.com/site/tarifspoetry