Sarkis Karam
Ziad Rahbani has passed away.
The rebellious genius has passed away… Ziad, the melody… the sarcastic laugh.
And with him, the creative spirit that broke the norm departed.
His visionary thought was extinguished.
The human energy that pulsed with music, words, and stances ceased.
***
He, who carried melody as a weapon, words as a stance, and sarcasm as a painful mirror of our reality fell silent.
The rebel, the outspoken, the bold, who never flattered, has dismounted.
He said it bitterly decades ago: “Get up, go to sleep… and dream that our country has become a country…”
Ziad closed his eyes, still waiting for a homeland that resembled his ideas,
a homeland that never came, and that never resembled the dream his father and uncle envisioned in the era of beautiful theater.
Ziad is gone, and the “American Feature Film” remains a witness to an unending pain.
He is gone, but the echo of his voice, his laughter, and his melodies remain…
Just as the truth remains after everyone has fallen silent.
***
Much will be written about Ziad, but nothing will compare to the ideas he wrote that broke the routine.
The most beautiful phrases will be said about him, but they will not do him justice.
Some will sing his songs, but they will only be enchanted by his melodies.
Many will laugh as they rewatch his plays and interviews,
and they will realize once again that the laughter he sowed sprang from the depths of people’s sorrows and pain.
Farewell, Ziad Rahbani…
We will miss the honesty spoken by your facial expressions,
written by your pen,
and overflowing with your genius.
May the Lord embrace you with His mercy,
and may your presence remain among us as you always have been:
Stronger than absence and more lasting than silence.