Nazia Sultan Poet Lento

When Baghdad Wept-CM

Author's Note
In February 1258, the Mongol army led by Hulagu Khan sacked Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate. It marked the end of the Islamic Golden Age. Libraries like the House of Wisdom were destroyed, and countless books were thrown into the Tigris River until the water ran black with ink and red with blood. Scholars, artists, and civilians were killed. The destruction ended centuries of science, medicine, and philosophy, and showed what happens when cruelty replaces knowledge and forgiveness.



When Baghdad Wept-CM

Cruel hooves marched, and cities bled,  
Cold steel struck, and scholars fled.  
Wisdom burned while rivers ran,  
Words turned ash in Tigris span.  

Mercy slept while towers fell,  
Golden age was lost to hell.  
Yet kindness waits in hearts to rise,  
Forgiveness blooms in humankind eyes.

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Alison A Smith August 22, 2026 at 12:27 AM A concise, stirring elegy for Baghdad and the immeasurable loss of its learning and culture. The contrast between burning wisdom and the hopeful final image of forgiveness blooming in human hearts gives the poem both historical gravity and a deeply humane message.❤️