Mohammad Ahmad
10-19-2013, 08:59 AM
The wretched village
Written and translated by
Mohammad Mahmud Ahmad
خمسون عاما مررنَّ وأنقضين
كان الشجرُ الأخضرُ مورقا في قريتنا
صفصاف ونبع ٌ يزهو في ضفتها
فيلعب الأطفال حتى المساء قرب دجلتها
السنابل والغدران ملأى
تُطحُن الحبوب ُ فيشبعُ الصبيانُ والنملُ
يمرحون بين أزقتها
وجاء القرار موجعا جائرا
فقضى على فرحتها
نبشوها وغمروها وأزالوها
كانت فريدة ً في عصرها
كانت فريدة ً في رونقها
بهائها وهوائها وكل شيء فيها,
جميل يحكي قِصة َماضيِها وحاضرِها
أيقونة من الزمن تعزف في حارتها
في واديها عندما يفيض في الشتاء
نعْبرُه على الأقدام إلى مدرستنا
الحمصُ والعدس وفيرُ في براريها
ماشية ترعى بين روابيها
لكنهم أزالوها
ليحل سد عقيم لا يرويها بل يمحوها
يزيل خارطتها ويشتتُ أهليها
بكًتهم الديارُ وبكاهم الوادي
بكاهُم كلُّ رائح ٍ وغادي
بكتهُم أحلامُهم قبلَ الحصادِ
فعافوا السهل والوادي
تركوا الأحلام َ تغور كما غار السهل والوادي
لم يكن لهم خيار أو قرار
سلاطينٌ جائرة تحكم العباد بلا قرار
Translation
Fifty years passed and finished
The green trees were verdant in our village.
Willows and reeds thrive healthy near riverbank.
The children played near Tigris River happily until evening.
Both ears and brooks were replete
A mill was there to crush their wheat
Then the children and ants became sated.
The children still grateful and play
Until an ominous decision came
Then suddenly its smile was died.
They flooded it with water
Flooded it with water, until the village was drowned
It was a unique village on its era
It has glamorous regularity
Its glory, its air tell us widely
It is a generous village
A prosperous village it is since history.
The tune of its iconic dream plays gladly
Usually we had passed by its flooded valley at winter.
We crossed it on foot when we went to our school.
The garbanzo, lentil and many legumes are abundant
Cattle grazed joyfully between its mounds.
However, it was a nice village, but they rooted it.
A futile dam replaced on its place.
A flood of water then replaced the wretched village.
It replaced not to water the wretched village.
Devastating its land, the citizens drove away.
Homeless without compensation they fled away.
Their dwellings cried upon them bitterly even the valley.
Even their wishes cried them before harvest bitterly.
Sorrowfully they abandoned the plane and the valley.
They left their dreams to be drowned,
Like the flooded plane and valley.
The have not choice or decision
Tyrant sultans dominate upon people, without decision.
Written and translated by
Mohammad Mahmud Ahmad
خمسون عاما مررنَّ وأنقضين
كان الشجرُ الأخضرُ مورقا في قريتنا
صفصاف ونبع ٌ يزهو في ضفتها
فيلعب الأطفال حتى المساء قرب دجلتها
السنابل والغدران ملأى
تُطحُن الحبوب ُ فيشبعُ الصبيانُ والنملُ
يمرحون بين أزقتها
وجاء القرار موجعا جائرا
فقضى على فرحتها
نبشوها وغمروها وأزالوها
كانت فريدة ً في عصرها
كانت فريدة ً في رونقها
بهائها وهوائها وكل شيء فيها,
جميل يحكي قِصة َماضيِها وحاضرِها
أيقونة من الزمن تعزف في حارتها
في واديها عندما يفيض في الشتاء
نعْبرُه على الأقدام إلى مدرستنا
الحمصُ والعدس وفيرُ في براريها
ماشية ترعى بين روابيها
لكنهم أزالوها
ليحل سد عقيم لا يرويها بل يمحوها
يزيل خارطتها ويشتتُ أهليها
بكًتهم الديارُ وبكاهم الوادي
بكاهُم كلُّ رائح ٍ وغادي
بكتهُم أحلامُهم قبلَ الحصادِ
فعافوا السهل والوادي
تركوا الأحلام َ تغور كما غار السهل والوادي
لم يكن لهم خيار أو قرار
سلاطينٌ جائرة تحكم العباد بلا قرار
Translation
Fifty years passed and finished
The green trees were verdant in our village.
Willows and reeds thrive healthy near riverbank.
The children played near Tigris River happily until evening.
Both ears and brooks were replete
A mill was there to crush their wheat
Then the children and ants became sated.
The children still grateful and play
Until an ominous decision came
Then suddenly its smile was died.
They flooded it with water
Flooded it with water, until the village was drowned
It was a unique village on its era
It has glamorous regularity
Its glory, its air tell us widely
It is a generous village
A prosperous village it is since history.
The tune of its iconic dream plays gladly
Usually we had passed by its flooded valley at winter.
We crossed it on foot when we went to our school.
The garbanzo, lentil and many legumes are abundant
Cattle grazed joyfully between its mounds.
However, it was a nice village, but they rooted it.
A futile dam replaced on its place.
A flood of water then replaced the wretched village.
It replaced not to water the wretched village.
Devastating its land, the citizens drove away.
Homeless without compensation they fled away.
Their dwellings cried upon them bitterly even the valley.
Even their wishes cried them before harvest bitterly.
Sorrowfully they abandoned the plane and the valley.
They left their dreams to be drowned,
Like the flooded plane and valley.
The have not choice or decision
Tyrant sultans dominate upon people, without decision.