By Aris Shaklian
Translated by Tatul Sonentz
I forgot, I forgot
My fairy-tale trysts
On the rosy road
Of what I was…
No longer do I recall
My old longings,
Each night blooming
On my pillow…
Even their now
Pale, white ashes
Are no longer there
On my dry,
Bloodless heart…
I even forgot how to cry…
………….. ARIS SHAKLIAN, 1925
Translated by Tatul Sonentz
British People Remember
To Add Another Leaf to Your Red Poppy
For The Genocided Armenians (April 24, 1915)
Before the World War I . . .
Our Genocide began.
You lost young soldiers,
Martyred with their guns,
Who went passionately,
Defending their Crown;
They did not return, . . .
Were lamented by their nation
By parents, wives, offspring,
And their countrymen.
You lost your bravest men . . . and
We felt your sadness.
We lost almost all our Artful, Literate
Voiceless, Devoted, Enslaved populaces
Slaughtered . . . raped . . . dehydrated . . .
Famineated on the sunny Der Zor sand!
When you remember your Armistice Day*,
Please remember, for your soldiers’ sake,
Our slaughtered unborn sons
Who never grew to become young men!
They fell to defend their dignity . . .
Their faith, yours and each honest human.
Along with democracy . . . human rights . . .
Awake . . . return to your faith . . .
Remember the Armenian Genocide.
Add another leaf to your red poppy,
And make Remembrance Day
More humanitarian.
We have not yet regained our rights,
To our historic homeland . . .
Our Biblical Mount Ararat of civilized hearts,
Where the martyred proud reign.
(C) SYLVA PORTOIAN, M.D
From my Poetry collection “A Poetic Soul Shined of Genocides” 2008
will be published in my new collection, 2015
“BRING-OUT Our Genocided Skulls & Artful Hands” 2015
_________________
*November 11, 1918
Beautiful poem and Excellent Translation by poet, Tatul …
Not easy to translate poetry …
He was able to translate the soul…
Congrats
sylva