You Have Been Cruel To Me

You have been cruel to me
O Time, when you took away my young one,

You have been cruel to me
When you took my beloved Samar,

You have been cruel to me
When you abducted her,
Moments before she could say goodbye

You have been cruel to me
When you amputated a part of me
Disfiguring my being

You have been cruel to me
As you extinguished the light of my eyes
And plucked my rose from my garden

You have been cruel to me
When I received condolences for her
Two months after being congratulated

You have been cruel to me
When you took away my smile
And replaced it with sadness

You have been cruel to me
For not giving her time
To fulfill her dreams

You have been cruel to me
When you aborted the dreams
That we shared together

You have been cruel to me
For you made each mother’s nightmare
My constant reality

You have been cruel to me
Despite the patience that adorned me
And despite my faith

You have been cruel to me
Despite my knowledge
That everything on earth will vanish

You have been cruel to me
O Time, she has departed leaving me
Impotent, standing still

You have been cruel to me,
O Time, if only death did not call her,
But called me

Samar, you will always remain
The most beautiful name
My tongue constantly repeats.


From : SAMAR, Sunset and Sunrise
page 52
By: Randah Ribhi Hamadeh,2007 Copyright©

Translated: Lina Ribhi Hamadeh

How Much I Miss You

Do you know my beloved daughter Samar, how much I miss you?
Do you have any of my news? I wonder.
And how I long for a look from your eyes
And how I wish, even for one last time, to kiss you from head to toe
And how I miss that beautiful smile.
Oh how my hands pine to touch your face,
Wishing if time could only bring you back, merrily playing with your siblings.
Do you know that my comfort is in your notebooks, papers and what you have written?
I read every line and my memory takes me to what your eyes read
And that I now wear the bracelet and watch that adorned your wrist.
Do you know that I pray each raqa’a in your room and direct my dua’a to you?
My yearning pulls me to sleep in your bed hoping to dream of your smile,
And to live moments with you, hugging you and kissing your cheeks.

From: SAMAR: Sunset and Sunrise, Page 54

by Randah Ribhi Hamadeh, 2007, Copyright©
(Translated by Lina Ribhi Hamadeh)

My Wish

Do you know, Samar, my daughter what my wish is now?
That time returns me, as the little girl I was in my memory
When the only worry I had was my studies and studying,
And to work hard to make my parents and siblings proud,
And that the separation ceases to torture and haunt me
And that each member of my family would live under the same roof.
Do you know Samar, my daughter, what my wish is now?
To whisper with my friends in my school yard
And to write my daily events day after day, in my journal,
And wait for teachers’ day to assume the role of my teacher.
These were my worries within my kingdom’s borders.
Do you know Samar, my daughter, what my wish is now?
To put my head on my mother’s lap for her to solve my problem
And to turn the clock’s hands to prevent time from confronting me
So that the events in my story change to let my daughter live
Living the best of her life, and to burry me when my time comes
Forgive me God; please do not hold me accountable,
For my teacher had forgotten to teach me how to confront tragedy.

From: SAMAR: Sunset and Sunrise, Page 47

by Randah Ribhi Hamadeh, 2007, Copyright©

(Translated by Lina Ribhi Hamadeh)
Samar, Sunset and Sunrise

The New Year

Oh New Year, you have come, and in what circumstances you came
Bringing hope to all to fulfill their dreams with the arrival of this new born
Everyone happily celebrated and welcomed your arrival
Except for us, as Samar left us, and our sadness sent the new year's joyfulness far away
In its place came deep sadness and agony for her departure
And our hearts bleed for her every day, as blood runs in veins
How can we be happy that the year ended when we enjoyed Samar and shared many memories
The peak of our happiness and delight was on her graduation day, a unique day
She strolled like a bride and even the moon was jealous and asked her to give him from her beauty.
We were blessed with Samar for eighteen years, but then fate said “Enough! No more”.
It seems like yesterday when she waited for the New Year to make her wishes
How can we celebrate you time when you did not give a long life to Samar?
Forgive us time for we will not celebrate you, but will only rejoice when time comes to meet Samar
Oh God, please let Samar enter the gardens of heaven and let her enjoy its bounty, Glorious You
Dear God please save me Ahmed, Omar and Qadar and strengthen their hearts, You Almighty
From :SAMAR:Sunset and Sunrise,Page 53

by Randah Ribhi Hamadeh,2007,Copyright ©

(Translated by Lina Ribhi Hamadeh)

You Welcomed Me in the Sunrise

Descending the plane, you welcomed me in the sunrise,
Calling “Mother, do not be sad, in each city you will find me.
I welcomed you in the sunrise to relieve your pain,
Look at it and you will see me
Do not cry because you parted from my grave,
Nor on leaving your haven, my bedroom.
Wherever you go and wherever you turn, at your side you will find me,
Listening to your heart beats.
Look into your eyes and there you will find me.
If not for my siblings and father, you would have wished in death to join me
Today's journey is full of memories of our last year’s joyful one,
When we came to college campuses for my selection
I heard your whisper on the plane reproaching me for leaving",
You were saying, “if only you were with your siblings, whom you used to very much miss”
Repeatedly telling me about your separation pain
And that your best days were with them, aspiring to accompany them to university
How can I not be heartbroken, for instead of accompanying me, I carry you within me?
Where are you now my dearly loved daughter, please answer me?
No matter how beautiful the sunrise is, it would have been better if you welcomed me in person”

From: SAMAR: Sunset and Sunrise, Page 56
by Randah Ribhi Hamadeh, 2007, Copyright©
(Translated by Lina Ribhi Hamadeh)

You Never Leave Me

Is it reasonable that you never leave me for a moment?
You even run to my pillow before me, and
Wherever I go, I find you waiting to welcome me.
Is it reasonable for me to feel that you always hear me and
With your sweet voice, you keep me company every moment,
The smell of your perfume surrounds me cheering me up
I see you at your empty dining room seat, and
Sitting beside me in my car’s passenger seat.
You have become like the blood that flows in my veins
Praise the Creator! You returned like a fetus sleeping in my womb
You never leave my mind nor my body, you never leave me,
As if you always wait for me at each sunrise and sunset, saying
“Mother, I am here, look beyond and you will see me”
Praise God! He makes me find you everywhere, so that you never leave me.


From: SAMAR: Sunset and Sunrise ,page 33
Copyright© by Randah Ribhi Hamadeh, 2007
(Translated by Lina Ribhi Hamadeh)

If Only My Daughter Returns

If only… my beloved daughter Samar returns
The most beautiful of flowers and roses
The smile that brought heartfelt joy to everyone in her short life
The pride of each mother, father, sibling , friend and teacher in the world
The name everyone repeated, even those whom she did not know
O most beautiful Gulf pearl and most precious of jewels and necklaces
O butterfly who left her incense and perfume in every place she entered,
Her unique giving caused sadness spread in every house
And people’s love for her went beyond limits and boundaries
O Dear God, save me, for you are the Savior and the Generous
Return Samar to me with a miracle, the Able, God of Moses and David
How can I wait for that promised day even in my patience?
Though she is in each heartbeat, I want her to return
Without her my life journey is stumbled for she is gone
And I die every moment as the road ahead is closed
My hopes are in vain, no matter what I wish, Samar will not return
You strengthened Moses mother's heart though their separation was short
And returned her infant to comfort her.
If only Samar returns, even in a dream!

From: SAMAR: Sunset and Sunrise by Randah Ribhi Hamadeh, 2007,page 55

(Translated by Lina Ribhi Hamadeh)
Copyright© 2007 by Randah Ribhi Hamadeh