Persian and Proud

I'm proud to be a Persian, there's no doubt Though some may look at me with veiled disdain To honored heritage I give a shout And here I bare my love in words so plain When Cyrus captured Babylon's strong hold The greatest in the world he then became "Anointed One", in scriptures, name so bold Religious freedom reigned, he banished shame And through the years this country has survived Though some have sought to crush it to the ground Its music, lore and culture only thrived The wonders of my country still astound Rich flavors mix in scrumptious Persian food The saffron colors brightly long grained rice Delicacies await past interlude Desserts so decadent beg one more slice! My heart just thrills when Farsi greets my ear A language soft, melodious and sweet When set to music, all the world must hear Indulgent rhyming words, a lover's treat You claim to love Hafez and dear Rumi “A Thousand and one Nights”: a splendid tale! Well then, my dearest friend, listen to me From these great writers from this country hail Armenian Persian is my ancestry My childhood in Iran, a glorious time! Leave prejudices out of poetry My Persian pride will live on in this rhyme! Eileen Manassian Cyrus the Great is mentioned in the Bible: Isaiah 45:1-13 "This says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whom I have seized by the right, to subdue nations before him." He was known to be benevolent and to give those he conquered the right to worship as they wished. Also, the Jews were given the opportunity to rebuild the temple during the reign of another Persian king, Artaxerxes. I thought I would just give a footnote so that the reader will understand the references in the poem. We all have to be proud of our heritage. I haven't been back to my country since I was 11 due to various reasons, but...the memories I have will always warm my heart. Poetic forms like the Rubaiyat and Ghazal are Persian forms, along with the Mathnawi. Persia is famous for its carpets, cats, and caviar...the three C's...along with so much more. Of course, my daughter's name, SHEREEN is Farsi and it means...SWEET. :)