| Yusra Home |
THE MERCHANTS OF TADMURBy Yusra Al-Ayoubi |
|
|
|
|
Nostalgic Poems The Merchants of Tadmur |
THE MERCHANTS OF TADMURThe sand is sweating Oil and flame, A land of treasures
A land of fame
Besieged by invaders.
The Queen of Caravans said of old:
"I' m the protector of the sacred road..
On it I carry silk, perfume and gold:
The road of Hiram, Solomon, Balkis(1)
In my powerful hands I grasp
The key of the world
Made from the ancient times of Hasis(2)
My archers are a miracle
My lancers are a storm
Why should Rome have the benefit all
My country enslaved, my wealth stole
You brave men, who will go my way?
My way is thorny, at the end the sway
A paradise awaits you not far away
Freedom, unity, prosperity and might
Follow me men to the fight
We are liberators, we have the right"
But alas!
The sand poured oil and flame
The resistance mighty, courage the same
While the merchants of Tadmur
Sold the walls and Tadmur' s fame
Have you not heard in the caravans
The warning song of your doom
When treason hid in coppers
Traders thought a near boom
Not seeing in camels heavy with the load
Swordsmen,
lancers and archers
In a combat of despair
The guardians of Tadmur
Were
taken by storm
The forts, the walls, the palaces, the royal vault
Would never have destroyed
The desert defeated, the pride gone
If not were in Tadmur men
Over Tadmur, wretched moral cowards
Who disgusted to eat dates,
Or to
have some patience
Let the walls of Tadmur down
Pride
lost where trade won
A great dream was stung
By the daggers of stupidity
To end
in a hell of servility
Trade, how dear was the cost Where life and freedom lost the most. |
|
(1) According to a study by Afif Al-Bizri
published in the Kuayti Al Watan 1986 |