ـ أصّداءُ الكَربَلائي ـ

"Don't Reply… The Rose Has Died" is a poem where sorrow seems to have taken refuge in the voice, and where the tragedy of Karbala opens a window with every note. The tragedy isn't simply recounted; rather, its shadows are allowed to wander among the words. The image emerges heavy with what the tongue cannot utter, and silence becomes another facet of the lament. When Basim al-Karbalai's voice rises, you feel that the words aren't being uttered to the listener, but rather being drawn from a deep recess in memory. The poem remains after its conclusion like the traces of footsteps on land whose inhabitants have vanished. "Don't Reply… The Rose Has Died" is a short title, yet it opens a long door of sorrow in the heart; a door that the poem's ending doesn't close, but leaves ajar… for remembrance.