Helmi Ben Meriem is a researcher of Somali literature at the University of Sousse, Tunisia, where he is finishing his PhD dissertation under the direction of American fiction writer and professor of Anglophone studies, Edward Sklepowich. Mr. Ben Meriem focuses in his creative
writings on marginalized segments of the Arab and/or Muslim world such
as women, homosexuals, atheists, and religious minorities among others.
Mr. Ben Meriem has an unpublished novel entitled "Good Night Letters:
An Epistolary Novel" and is currently working on a new novel by the
title "Helmi's Corner". He can be reached on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/St.John.Larch. Read his scholarly works at: https://independentresearcher.academia.edu/HelmiBenMeriem
The legend said a day would come,
when Ara Veug shall shine over this land,
an ever-lasting sun of righteousness.
Man shall win over the devil.
They will mount against the tyranny of
Sua, the despot of ages of suffering and agony.
O, Hec Ara Veug will carry the word of the Lord,
He shall hold the sword of the Almighty into his hands.
Yet mercy had fled the land ages ago,
Sua shall suffer endlessly,
The sword of the almighty shall write the
Word of Salvation for Man.
(Poet's Note: Ara is a mythical figure of my creation and it is symbolic of kindness, bravery, struggle for freedom, and desire to bring peace and equality to Mother Earth. Sua, also my creation, is symbolic of tyranny, hatred and injustice. )
~Helmi Ben Meriem
Ara Veug
The legend said a day would come,
when the sun will never shine over this land.
death shall prevail, evil shall win.
and shall lose against the devil.
The legend said a day would come,
when Ara Veug shall shine over this land,
an ever-lasting sun of righteousness.
Man shall win over the devil.
They will call him Hec, the saviour.
He shall overthrow the evils,
Hec Ara Veug shall share
the faith of men and women.
They will mount against the tyranny of
Sua, the despot of ages of suffering and agony.
O, Hec Ara Veug will carry the word of the Lord,
He shall hold the sword of the Almighty into his hands.
O, Sua shall be in ruins,
she shall weep in blood,
The Lord’s messenger shall have no pity on her,
she shall suffer; she shall taste the bitterness
she inflicted on others for ages.
O, she shall weep and her pages shall weep even harder.
Pages of history shall be written again.
O, Hec Ara Veug shall write it with the blood of Sua,
O, may mercy befall Sua when she stands before Hec Ara Veug.
Sua shall suffer endlessly,
The sword of the almighty shall write the
Word of Salvation for Man.
The legend says that day is to come,
It shall come, it shall come,
The lord has not forgotten about us,
O, Hec Ara Veug Prophet for the Wretched.
(Poet's Note: Ara is a mythical figure of my creation and it is symbolic of kindness, bravery, struggle for freedom, and desire to bring peace and equality to Mother Earth. Sua, also my creation, is symbolic of tyranny, hatred and injustice. )
~Helmi Ben Meriem