'The Virgin Soul': Mariam Albaghdadi(Prof.) Poem by nadia abduljabbar

To Professor Mariam Al Baghdadi



I am writing about Mariam,
Do you know who Mariam is?
Mariam is an intellect,
Mariam is a fighter,
Mariam is a critic,
Mariam is a writer,
Mariam is a poet,
With transparent wings.
Mariam is a full professor,
Even when she was just a beginner,
Long before she got the honourable degree,
Mariam made the certificate,
Neither the certificate, nor the chair
Have made Mariam,
Her certificate is from Paris,
Yet, nothing she took
From the French
Except their ability
To think, to analyze
With a delicate touch,
Have you ever
Heard of a person as such? !
……
Mariam is a teacher,
She is born to teach,
Under any difficult circumstance.
Do you know what teaching is? !
Teaching is love;
Love for The Most Knowledgeable,
For the land, for people, for life,
Do people,
Do teachers,
Understand this fact?
Teaching is giving,
Teaching is construction not destruction,
Teaching is confidence,
Teaching is conscience
Teaching is patience,
Teaching is creativity,
Teaching is helping humanity,
Teaching is erasing pain and anxiety
Before erasing illiteracy,
Or even ignorance.
……
Mariam is all of this,
And a little more is yet to come,
To tell you about the Saudi Mariam:
Mariam is pride not vanity,
Mariam is tranquillity,
Mariam is vitality,
Mariam is responsibility,
Mariam is truthfulness,
Mariam is eagerness
For knowledge and education,
Mariam is ambition not greediness,
Mariam is anti hypocrisy,
Mariam is happiness,
Though she was not given
What she really deserves,
Mariam is a mother,
Not only for her only son,
But for every one else as well,
Mariam is a sister, a daughter,
Even a brother,
For she has men’s ability
To give, to support
Without common women’s jealousy,
Mariam is a mirror
That does not hide flaws,
But reflects goodness.
……
When Mariam was
The head of the college
Of Arts and Humanities,
Then after some years,
The Vice Dean of the University,
Everything was so clear and clean,
Everything was so promising,
Indoors and outdoors,
Inside and outside people;
In buildings and yards,
It was different then,
Never had I to take an appointment,
Or permission to meet her in her office,
Though I was a beginner;
Just a T.A,
With her big looking glasses,
That are framed by black,
Mariam framed evil and made it a prisoner;
She prevented it from prevailing,
Thus cause it to deteriorate;
The power of virtue was her sword,
For Mariam is a warrior,
With all of this strength,
She is modest though.
……
Her ancestors go back,
To the last prophet,
To the greatest man;
The one of great
Attitude and morals,
As he is described
In the holy Qur’an,
That’s why she does not
Stab in the back,
For she tries her best
To follow his steps,
To be worth of such
An honour,
She strived a lot
To teach others
To follow his line,
She is a true Muslem
In words and actions,
The Hashemit Mariam is a model,
For every virtue, for generosity.
……
She once was my teacher,
Twenty five years ago;
I still remember her vital words
In that Arabic course,
Their effect have stayed
With me till the moment,
Some years ago,
She wrote about “Mohammad’s Virtue”,
She and her great poem,
Are the core of my Ph.D,
This is the least I can do
To tell the world,
About my religion,
My people and homeland.
…….
Do you want to see
A real Muslem and Arabic woman,
Who is ancient yet modern,
Then go to talk to Mariam,
She will remind you of the past ones,
In English Mariam is Mary,
The name of The Virgin,
Mariam is a virgin
In spirit, in jokes,
In her strong,
But innocent emotions.

Jeddah, March 2001

From my first book: Women with Wings