Schémas Répétitifs d'une Nation Flagellée

Le Liban n'est pas en guerre, il est pris dans le fiel,
Les Libanais sans défense subissent l'éternel.
L'État effacé par des mains criminelles,
Confondus avec l'ombre, ils pleurent sous le ciel.

Le Liban ploie en silence sous l'ombre mortelle,
Entraîné dans des conflits aux causes irréelles.
Soumis à devenir un champ de guerre cruel,
Les Libanais s'effondrent, leurs espoirs chancellent.

Vacance présidentielle, parlement corrompu en sentinelle,
Idéologies sectaires, des ministres au cœur infidèle,
Conditions misérables, les injustices éternelles,
Les Libanais chancellent, trop longtemps sur un pied, ils appellent.

Ils appellent justice, une nation sans querelle,
Un avenir plus serein, loin de ce cycle cruel,
Ils réclament un changement, un espoir universel,
Pour que cesse enfin ce fardeau perpétuel.

Par René Sultan

——

I am humbled to publish my poem Schémas Répétitifs d'une Nation Flagellée (written in French) in one of Lebanon's oldest and most prominent French-language newspapers.

Sometimes I look back and think that perhaps I should have written this in English, but I am convinced I wouldn't have been as expressive in any language other than French, my intellectual self's mother tongue.

I invite you to read and interpret this poem, free from the weight of political, sectarian, and religious biases, and instead with a sensitive and open spirit, receptive to feelings and introspections.

This work stems from a series of personal reflections on the Idea of my beautiful country Lebanon, an Idea shaped by the collection of personal experiences and perceptions of each Lebanese citizen. It also draws on the many narratives lived and represented in the minds of those across different communities, cities, and villages. In Lebanon, every village and every community holds its own collective experience of what Lebanon means, embedding it deeply in their identity and psyche. There is a reason why, in Lebanon, the first question we ask one another is, ‘What part of Lebanon are you from?’ even though our country is barely 10,452 km².

In my poem, I share with you, and denounce, the fruit of my reflections: the archetypal components behind Lebanon's cyclical and time invariant nature of crisis.

Consider this an invitation to reflection, not a rigid block of knowledge to accept without the right to question—I chose the structure of a poem specifically to avoid that.

I truly hope to share more about my personal opinions in a more structured, publishable piece of writing, where I will delve into my analysis of the macroscopic and timeless ideas that power this cyclical nature of conflict in Lebanon. My hope is to awaken my readers' spirits, especially young Lebanese adults of my generation, to challenge the inherited and biased narratives about Lebanon from our forebears, and share my opinion on the core of Lebanon's cyclical nature of warfare, which I believe stems from an unresolved identity crisis cast upon the Lebanese nation at the time of the creation of the ‘State of Lebanon’ on November 22nd, 1943.

Until this piece of writing sees the light of day, I wish you strength and peace in these difficult times, praying for a foreseeable peace in our country.

René Sultan

New York, U.S.A.

Monday, October 7, 2024

Contact: hi@renesultan.com

Link to article's page: https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/1430176/schemas-repetitifs-dune-nation-flagellee.html