Saturday, October 18, 2008
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The sands of time have always known That civilization which has grown In that plateau we call Iran Land of the lion, land of the sun
Kourosh brought unmatched glory Dariush's Persepolis told the lasting story Strength came from tolerance and freedom Justice and nobility flourished in this kingdom
The greatest empire ever seen Their lasting legacy was unforeseen Masters of the world The Persians' achievements must be told
Wise words of Kourosh, baked on a cylinder of clay Respected foreign cultures, and their right to freely pray Women were respected, and slavery abolished Kourosh was Great, for the human rights he polished
To conquer foreign lands requires minimal exertion But to unite an empire, is a remarkable contention Always building and improving, and never standing still Dariush was Great, for his administrative skill
The Royal Road, with Sardis at the end and Shooshan at the start Was an awe of transportation, connecting Persia's heart Who carved the Suez Canal, giving commerce speedy wings? King Dariush, son of Hystaspes, an Achaemenid, the King of Kings
The father, with passion and pride, passed to his son His love of law, beauty, architecture, and care of Iran Dariush began building, but Xashayar completed these perfections Xashayar was great, for his magnificent creations
And what of Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis? Did the Greeks truly receive such bliss? Herodotus embellished, told lies for the West For the Persians, these were skirmishes at best
But every golden era must someday end So too Achaemanesh's dynasty would bend Alexander's army won, but could not see Win or lose, Persians' hearts always stay free
Revenge, envy, and wine made Alexander yearn The pride of Persia, Persepolis, to burn The labor of years, by a thousand artisans employed Took one lunatic one night, for this jewel to be destroyed
Greatness comes, from a worthy contribution To humanity, to art, to law, or a scientific institution Those who burn and loot deserve our hate So answer this, was Alexander truly Great?
Now who were the barbarians, the Persians or the Greeks? Our lowest troughs, still higher than their highest peaks The art of empire, the Greeks could never master Constant feuding and civil wars, left Greece in a disaster
Parthians picked up the torch of our land Put Iranian rule back in Iranian hand They showed Greece and Rome, to name just two That Iran possesses great horses, and great men too
Like a Phoenix, from the ashes rising The Sassanians arrived, with Iran reorganizing Power, wealth, and wisdom again flourished The rule of Ardeshir, Shapur, and Khosro let Iran be nourished
Life was based on three simple needs Good Thoughts, Good Words, and Good Deeds Monotheist religion, for all its evil and its good Came from Iran, from where Zarathustra stood
Rome, for all its power and its legions Couldn't touch Iran's vast regions Many times Rome tried but failed Every time cataphract armor thundered and hailed
But Sassanian wealth and beauty caught the eye Of a desert tribe, whose religion was a lie Like desert snakes, they ruthlessly attacked Until beautiful Ctesiphone was sacked
Rostam-e-Farokhzad, the brave and capable general Fought till the end, though his wounds were several At Qaddissiya, he came to Iran's defense Alas, the Taazi army was too dense
With coercion and the sword Islam was able to spread its word A dark and sinister force was born That to this day brings Iran much scorn
Some to India had to flee Iran's destruction was unbearable to see Parsees, they are called to this day Ahura Mazda, with them will always stay
But Iranian roots are strong and hard to kill Iran was freed again, with such a thrill The Saffarids would answer the nation's call To make Arab tyranny shamefully fall
Don't mourn the Ashura, weep a Taazi's death Hassan and Hossein were foreigners, who weakened Iran's breath If mourn you must, then mourn, a national event Like Gaugamela, or Qaddissiya, places of great lament
While Europe was stagnant in its Dark Ages Persian scholars thrived, free from mental cages From algebra, to astronomy, and architecture Persians wrote the book, and gave the lecture
A time of great Persian thinkers had emerged Where poetry and science, love and knowledge, easily verged Saadi, Hafez, Rumi, Omar Khayam to name a few Thanks to them, humanity exponentially grew
Arabs from time to time, try to falsely claim These brilliant men, and their golden works of fame Dream on, Taazi, and of this be sure: These men were always Persian, and completely pure
Who could forget Ferdowsi, the greatest poet ever? He gave us Sam, Zal, and Rostam, heroes both brave and clever The Persian language, so eloquently resurrected As The Shahnameh was written with all Arabic words neglected
Many other invaders would come again, much the same From Genghis Khan to Teimur the Lame They would loot, burn, and murder The cities too proud to surrender
Though Turks and Mongols had military strength They were lacking in cultural length The Persian culture was too rich, to be absorbed into theirs Instead they settled in Iran, and joined her proud heirs
It's clear from this short and simple recap That Iran had its share of glory, as well as mishap Our generation is unfortunate, assigned the station Of another dark chapter, in the book of our nation
Once again Zahak is in power His snakes consume and poison every flower He uses religion and superstition To enforce his selfish and malicious mission
So once more dust off the Kaviyani banner And fly it high, in a proud and fitting manner Zahak and his snakes will die once more And our nation we shall yet restore
Arabs, pack your camels, and form a line Leave this land, let the lion roar, let the sun shine Or get thrown out, by Kaveh, and his noble flame Return to the desert sands, from whence you came
Iran in its infancy reached the sky Will faravahar's wings expand, will Iran soar that high? Just lift the veil, you'll surely see Iran's brightest days lie ahead, when the Aryans are again free
Labels: Ancient Iran, Cyrus The Great, History, Iran
□ نوشته شده در ساعت 6:45 PM
توسط Unknown
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