|
|
Article: Beirut! O queen of the world. (poem) (Bearing Witness: Recent Literature from Lebanon)
- Article from:
- The Literary Review
- Article date:
- March 22, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 Fairleigh Dickinson University. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
1
Beirut! O Queen of the world . . . Who sold your ruby-chiselled bracelets? Who took away your magic ring, And cut out your golden nails? Who killed the joy in your green eyes, Slashed your face with a knife, And threw burning acid on your lovely lips? Who poisoned the sea water And sprinkled hatred on your rosy beaches? Here we come . . . to apologize . . . to confess That we fired on you with a tribal spirit . . . And killed a woman . . . once called (Liberty) . . .
2
What can we say, Beirut . . . When the essence of human sorrow is in your eye And the ashes of civil war on your breast? What can we say, O, summer fan and damask rose? ...