An Elegy for My Motherland Iran
Mehran Sirani
Cry out my motherland
That instead of high-flying eagles
The ugly vultures have built the nest
On the top of your centuries old wisdom tree
***
Cry out my motherland
That instead of savior lions
The disgusting roar of dirty hyenas has resonated
Deep inside your centuries old glorious mountain
***
Cry out my motherland
That instead of mighty thunderbolt
The honest fireflies have desperately tried to illuminate
Your centuries old eclipse with their poor flashlights
***
Cry out my motherland
That instead of the unique sun
The mass sunflowers have naively turned their faces to every spark
In the middle of your centuries old total darkness
***
Cry out my motherland
That instead of wise harvest
The endless intellectual famine has dried the roots of every plant
Deep inside your centuries old enlightenment plain
***
Cry out my motherland
For those barren swallows
That would mournfully leave your gloomy sky
Hoping in vain to taste the free flight in an earthly Aden
***
Cry out my motherland
For those unborn swallows
That will pay an eternal heavy price
For our historical neglect and failure
***
Cry out my motherland
For your painful destiny
For your ominous future
For your cold-blooded history
___________________
Source: Poem Hunter
