In Memory: ‘Oh Stones Cloaked in Grief’
Oh Stones Cloaked in Grief
In memory of the July 2025 massacres in Sweida, Syria[1]
By Louai Alhenawi
Translated by Ghada Alatrash
Oh, Stones[2], cloaked in grief,
bearing witness to what has happened,
exhausted, giving voice to fistfuls of pain and buried secrets.
And faces that once scattered joy, replaced
by the hearts of those they love now broken.
Dew in love with wheat rising from the rocky soil,
homes with hearts wide open, homes now held within their people,
have turned to heaps of ash, fire coursing through their veins
fire coursing through their veins.
And the laughter of a young woman in love,
who wore the sky and drifted away,
with every choking grief,
a tear of lament, falling as remembrance.
Oh, Stones, cloaked in grief,
bearing witness to what has happened.
The children ask: why, and who became our enemy?
And the father calls out: they are one of us, would never betray us—
Oh, young ones, do not be afraid, the people of this land are coming.
We are all one family, no difference between us, neighbor kin to neighbor.
Shame upon those who failed to protect,
and those who divided the people.
Their betrayal flipped the scale,
meeting honor with revenge.
Oh, Stones, cloaked in grief,
bearing witness to what has happened.
I am Syrian, my brother,[3] if only you truly knew what that is.
I have stitched the lines of my hand so the sparrow may build its nest.
I unfold like basil, and a poem falls from me, its buds blossoming roses.
I scatter dignity across the earth, for nobility is our way.
Our men guard its soil,
at its gates they stand.
Our people are people of dignity,
mighty on this land.
Oh, Stones, cloaked in grief,
bearing witness to what has happened.
Oh… Sweida, the patient one,
may you live and remain always full of life.
Wreathed in laurel, our tall gates cannot break.
Oh… Sweida, the patient one,
may you live and remain always full of life.
Wreathed in laurel, our armored gates cannot break,
Oh home, our home.
Also: Watch on video, music also by Louai Alhenawi.
يا حجار ملفوفة بحزن
لؤي الحناوي
يا حجار ملفوفة بحزن
تشهد على الي صار
وتبوح من عز التعب
بحفنة وجع وسرار
ووجوه بتوزع فرح
مكسور قلب حبابا
والندى العشقان القمح الطالع فوق صخور ترابا
وبيوت قلوبها مفتوحة وساكنة جوات صحابا
صارت رماد مكومة وشربت عروقا النار
شربت عروقا النار
وضحكة صبية عاشقة
لبست سما ومفارقة
بكل غصة مارقة
دمعة عتب تذكار
يا حجار ملفوفة بحزن
تشهد على الي صار
عم يسألو الولاد ليش ومين عادينا
والبي ينده ولادنا وما بيغدرو فينا
يا زغار ما تخافوش ابن البلد جاينا
كلنا أهل ما في فرق والجار خي الجار
يا حيف عالما صانها
وعل فرقوا سكانها
غدرن قلب ميزانها
ردو الكرامة ثار
يا حجار ملفوفة بحزن
تشهد على الي صار
سوري أني يا خيي بس لو تعرف السوري
وخطوط كفي مخيطا تيعشعش الدوري
بفتح حبق بقطر قصيدة زرارها جوري
بوزع كرامة عالارض طبع الشهامة كار
ورجال تحمي ترابها
وقفت عسور بوابها
أهل الكرامة صحابها
عارضكن شو كبار
يا حجار ملفوفة بحزن
تشهد على الي صار
واه يا السويدا الصابرة
تعيشي وتظلي عامرة
وسوار صلبة ما بتنكسر
ومسيجة بالغار
واه يا سويدا الصابرة
تعيشي وتظلي عامرة
وسوار عالي ما بتنكسر
يا دارنا يا دار
Also: Watch on video, music also by Louai Alhenawi.
[1] In July 2025, the Suwayda (As-Suwayda) region in southern Syria witnessed severe violence involving clashes between Druze armed groups, Bedouin fighters, and Syrian government forces and affiliated units. According to the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, the violence resulted in more than 1,700 deaths and the displacement of nearly 200,000 people. Amnesty International documented credible evidence of extrajudicial executions of dozens of Druze civilians by government and affiliated forces during the escalation. Human Rights Watch has highlighted widespread abuses across all parties and the continued absence of accountability mechanisms for violations committed during and after the violence. Reuters reporting based on verified video material documented execution-style killings in which civilians were reportedly forced to declare sectarian identity before being shot at close range. The New York Times similarly reported on mass sectarian violence in Suwayda, including civilian killings, looting, and widespread abuses during the escalation. The UN report concludes that the events involved grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights law and may amount to war crimes, with responsibility shared among multiple armed actors. (UN OHCHR, 2026; Amnesty International, 2025; Human Rights Watch, 2026; New York Times, 2025; Reuters, 2025).
[2] The black basalt stones of Sweida, a city in southern Syria, are the product of ancient volcanic eruptions that shaped much of the landscape of Jabal al-Arab (also known as Jabal al-Druze) within the Hauran volcanic plateau. For centuries, these stones have shaped the region’s identity: homes, courtyards, terraces, gates, and even roofs were traditionally built from local basalt. Their permanence has made them silent witnesses to generations of life, memory, and loss.
[3] A Reuters-verified video from the July massacres in Sweida shows armed men asking a civilian “Are you Muslim or Druze?” After he replies “I’m Syrian” and then “My brother, I’m Druze,” the men open fire. One fighter is also heard saying: “This is the fate of every dog among you, you pigs.” See Al-Monitor reporting based on Reuters footage analysis.