By The Rivers Of Babylon Poem by Unnikrishnan Sivasankara Menon
By The Rivers Of Babylon
By the rivers of Babylon, we sat
And wept when we remembered Zion.
There on the poplars we hung our harps*
Babylon, founded by Ctesias
Built by Hammurabi and rebuilt by
King Tukulti Ninurta the Assyrian
We entered through Ishtar Gate
By the Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar holds us prisoners here,
Exiled from our homeland.
Six hundred years hence
Son of God will be born
Then shall deliverance bless us
And we hear the Caribbeans* sing
Many hundred years later still
"By the Rivers of Babylon...."
and we weep...
Notes:
1. Quote from Bible Psalm 137: 1
2. The Caribbeans: Th famous band Bony M
"By the Rivers of Babylon...." is one of their most popular numbers.
3. The narrator is one of the Jews held prisoners by Nebuchadnezzar, the emperor of Babylon around 600 BC
Babylon, founded by Ctesias Built by Hammurabi and rebuilt by King Tukulti Ninurta the Assyrian We entered through Ishtar Gate By the Hanging Gardens of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar holds us prisoners here, Exiled from our homeland..........nice expression on historical places and events. Thannk you dear ES for sharing this beautiful poem.
Thank you Sir, for bestowing your precious time for reading this poem and sharing your notes on it. obliged sir.
Very impressive write, Unnikrishnan. You may like to read my poem, Love And Iust. Thank you.
Thank you for your kind words Sir. Obliged. And, you poem, I remember having read it Sir. Will make a revisit today Sir.
Thanks for reminding us of a great marvel of history. Its spell is upon the reader.
I am a great fan of Bony M, since childhood, even now. So I owe it to them.
And we hear the Caribbeans* sing Many hundred years later still By the Rivers of Babylon.... and we weep... I just love this song sung by Boney M. And i love your poem too, Unni.......10
Thank you Geeta, for the nice comments. I have always been a fan of Boney M. Oh! How I love the song “by the Rivers of Babylon “. Good to find a bird of same feather... Thanks again...
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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8/7/2025 5:46:57 AM # 1.0.0
Very well written and excellent sidepiece to Biblical verses- -10++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Delighted to read your words, Susan