Cheers and tears is one of Charbel Baini's books translated from Arabic by Elie shaanin
Showing posts with label My maternal uncles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label My maternal uncles. Show all posts

My maternal uncles

1
I never knew my uncle Joseph
I might have seen him in my dream,
Swimming in the treacherous waves;
That extinguished the candle of his life,
And swallowed his beaming smile;
Leaving but a prayer booklet and a towel
2
The windows of his house in Barsa,
Have always told me his story,
He died young and a bachelor,
Barsa, his town still awaits;
To celebrate his wedding day,
And remember his radiant smile,
That filled the air with magic;
In his absence silence reigned.
3
My learned uncle Lawrence,
His name in Lebanon is revered,
I was honoured when they said:
You surely take after him.
He excelled in history and poetry,
Exactly like his father George was;
An excellent thinker and linguist,
Lawrence was brought up at his hands.
My uncle, my grandfather and faith,
They form a holy three,
I inherited their mannerism,
Their abode is in Paradise.
I sadly missed my dear uncles,
My life resembles a glass that slipped,
Through the fingers of oblivion;
I walk daily upon its fragments.