We asked people to tell us “what does World Refugee Day mean to you”. We received the following poem and artwork (pictured above) by Niroz who was forced to flee Syria with her husband. Her poem is called ‘Sons of War’ and is below in both her native tongue and translated into English.
“My name is Niroz Yousif, I am Syrian Kurdish and I have passion for drawing and writing poetry. I fell in love with my husband when I was in high school, then we got married and since then I continued to write and draw. When the war broke out in Syria I could only do this sporadically because of the displacement of moving from one place to another. After we got to Britain we were able to settle and I have been able to concentrate on my talents once more.”
اولاد الحرب
الأقدار تلاحقنا أم نحن المعنيون
الظروف تعاكسنا أم نحن القائمون
الحرب مصيرنا أم نحن المهاجرون
إلى أين يا شعب إلى أين ذاهبون
تمهلوا انتظروا إلى أين سائرون
رحموكم فتحوا ابوابهم لكم تظنون
من اين لهم المحبة و أنتم مبغضون
قوافل بتنا لكن ماذا نحن لهم نكون
ماتت الإنسانية في قتل المجتمعون
أطفال نساء رجال لا تعيين كثيرون
ضرب و ضياع و موت أمام العيون
لماذا الرذيلة بحال المغامرة تحبون
اي مصير على تلك الحدود تنتظرون
من أمة ظلمت و قتلت ماذا تتوقعون
أسياد حكموا و أبرياء قتلوا مفجعون
تراهم ماذا بعد يريدون كم جائعون
جائعوا الدم ام اللحم أم مجرمون
حب الدمار حب الخراب عاشقون
ماتت الإنسانية و بعد مات الخائفون
خوف الله مات فيهم و هم سفاحون
بالله عليكم تمهلوا ماذا بعد تريدون
وطن الأم هجرناه نحن للوطن تواقون
لتراب الأرض ولأنفسنا ناسنا مشتاقون
تهنا في زوبعة الحروب بدربنا ضائعون
أناديكم أناجيكم أنا بقلبي المحزون
أحلفكم بغالي ترابكم و بدمع العيون
كفاكم ظلما لأنفسكم و كفاكم جنون
باقون نحن بصدقنا اقوياء صامدون
اولاد الحرب نحن أولاد عهد المقاومون
Sons of War
Is destiny chasing us, do we care?
Do the circumstances oppose us, or do we control them?
Is war our destiny, or are we immigrants?
Where are you going, people? Where are you going?
Slow down, wait, where are you going?
They have mercy on you and opened their doors for you, how long do you think.
From where comes their love and you are hated.
We were migrant caravans, but what are we for them to be
Humanity died they killed society, children, women and men, without choice.
Violence, loss and death in front of your eyes. Why evil do you love?
What fate on that border are you waiting for?
From a nation that was wronged and killed, what are you waiting for?
Masters ruled innocent people, they broke our hearts,
You see them, how hungry they are.
Are they hungry for blood or flesh, are they criminals?
Love of destruction, love of ruin, lovers.
Humanity is dead, the fearful died
The fear of God died in them at the hands of the thugs
By God, slow down, what do you want?
Motherland abandoned us homeland eager
For the soil of the earth, for ourselves, and our people we are longing
We are lost in the lost in the whirlwind of wars, and we are lost
I call you, I call you my sad heart
Swear to your soil dearly, with a shining eye
Stop yourself unjustly, stop yourself enraged
We remain honest, strong, steadfast
Sons of war, we are children of resistance
