A Mother's Love

"Dedicated to my beloved son Nazih Karameh, may God preserve him"

When my eyes saw you for the first time,
and when my ears heard the chime of your soft, beautiful voice,
I felt a deep tenderness run through my veins
and a great fondness shake my whole being, and I forgot my toil and my pains!
And the more you grow, the more your beauty deepens

that great love which swept over my heart and eased my anguish...
A day will come, my little son, when you will be a grown man;
may God watch over you and guard you with a care all His own, my little man!
I love your glowing glances; I love your green eyes, whose like I have never seen in all the world!!
I love to hear the echo of your innocent laughter,
I love your pure brow,
I love your enchanting smile!
You are my great hope, my soul, and all that I possess!
So give me a tender kiss, my guardian angel.
Tell me, when you rise each morning, of your nighttime adventures and your beautiful dreams...
Sing to me, my darling,

every evening,
the national anthem,
symbol of the homeland, melody of the days of glory and triumph.
No joy in the world can equal my delight in you when I see you pulsing with life before my eyes, forever longing for the sight of you.
O unfailing wellspring of a mother's love, it is the power of the great Creator alone that makes you gush forth forever!

Damascus — Salma Lutfi al-Haffar al-Kuzbari