Cyrus The Great
This historical poem explores Cyrus the Great, the Persian king associated with the return of Jewish exiles to Zion. It connects ancient Persia and Babylon with the modern history of Iran, Israel, Palestine, and Gaza, asking whether the spirit of Cyrus can still inspire justice, freedom, and peace.
In days before the Crescent rose,
Muhammad’s word was not yet known,
A King reigned where the Tigris flows,
On Persia’s plains, upon his throne.
Cyrus the Great, the ancients said,
Shattered the iron walls of dread;
In Babylon’s shadow he carved his way,
A conqueror, both loved and led.
His banners waved from mountain peaks,
His sword held fast by hand divine;
Yet in his heart, a kindness speaks,
A truth that burned like sacred fire.
In Babylon, the Jewish captives sighed,
Their temple razed, their cities gone;
By rivers mourned, by rivers they cried,
For Zion’s hills and holy dawn.
The King spoke in an ancient tongue,
A word that crossed both land and creed:
“Rise, children, to the songs once sung;
Take freedom’s reign, unbound and freed.”
Not yet Muslim, nor bound by law
Of Crescent moon or Islam’s ways.
Yet still he held a blessed awe
And a truth relevant for modern days.
In the Darb-e Mehr, Zoroaster’s fire bright,
The King saw all people as sacred bonds;
He set Jewish exiled hearts alight,
And returned them to their native sands.
Thus rose the walls, the temple grand,
And prayers in winds of Zion cast;
Yet centuries shift like desert sand —
New empires come, old ties are masked.
Iran now bears the Crescent high,
And draws the wrath of Israel’s ire;
Yet in ancient veins still lie,
Burning embers that never die.
Palestinians call on an ancient name,
Where children dwell in fear and night;
The olive groves are scorched in flames,
In Gaza’s rubble, no dawn in sight.
Where is the hand that once restored?
Where is the voice that knew our pain?
A people fierce in ancient lore,
Revive the ties that must remain.
Republic of Iran, the land of fire,
Remember when Kūruš’s spirit gave
The captives strength, the Jews inspired —
Rise now, as you once did save.
Now Palestinians seek that grace,
A spirit bold, a godly hand unbound,
End hell on earth, please show your face,
Bring justice to this blood-stained ground.
Beyond the East where powers stand,
Their arms feed this endless blight,
Reach out to us, extend your hand — like
Cyrus the Great, bring forth the light.
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