Poetry: Ashraf AboArafe
O Oman, land where ancient glories rise,
A crown of time beneath resplendent skies.
How oft thy spirit, radiant, pure, and high,
Has lit the ages like a sun on high;
Advancing onward through the march of years,
Dispelling darkness, calming mortal fears.
A haven thou, where weary nations rest,
A balm for wounds in troubled hearts oppressed.
Thy gentle hand, in wisdom ever fair,
Unknots the cords of hatred and despair;
And from the dust of discord, faint and dim,
Thou liftest peace with steadfast, healing limb.
Close hast thou stood where anxious councils meet—
The “Five-and-One” beside Iran’s retreat—
Till from thy counsel sprang the word of peace,
And wrathful tempests found a soft release.
Beloved of nations, honored near and far,
Thy noble banner shines like guiding star.
With Egypt, ties eternal never fade;
In war and peace, the brotherhood was laid.
From ’73, when ceasefire’s hope was born,
To ’79, when treaties crowned the morn—
The Nile and Gulf together stood as one,
Their destinies by loyal friendship spun.
And now anew their kindred spirits rise,
Like twin horizons glowing in the skies;
Strengthened by envoys faithful to their aim,
Whose service lifts the bond to wider fame.
This year, Oman, returns thy sacred day—
Thy Fifty-Fifth National Jubilee’s ray.
A cherished feast in every loyal breast,
A tale of ancestors who stood the test;
The day thy people claimed their destined place,
And raised their standard with unyielding grace.
It marks, as well, the noble birth of one
Whose reign shone brighter than the desert sun—
Qaboos… whose wisdom, justice, gentle art
Still lights the pathways of the Omani heart.
And now, Oman—O Arabs, world entire—
All yearn to see the dawn they most desire:
A free Palestine, from tyranny set free,
Her skies restored to hope and dignity.
Peace flowing wide through Libya’s wounded sand,
Through Sudan’s sorrowed fields and Yemen’s land;
Through Lebanon, where tired cedars bend,
And Syria, longing for her wounds to mend;
Through noble Iraq, yearning to arise
And greet the world with clear, unshadowed eyes.
Blessed be the envoy striving night and day,
Guided by leaders wise in every way—
By Haitham’s vision, firm yet full of grace,
By Busaidi’s counsel in its rightful place.
Thus Egypt and Oman, in union stand,
Two sister realms of heart and mind and land;
Their peace enduring, like a steadfast flame—
Their banners twinned in honor and in fame.
