Poem: Renounce the Fortress of Humiliation

Altaf Hossain Uzzal :

Tear down the fortress of humiliation,
Though its ramparts gleam with gilded stone;
Seek instead the sanctum of honour,
Though it may lie in ruins, desolate, alone.

Freedom is the jewel beyond all measure,
Its luster radiant as the midnight star;
Through anguish, through sacrifice’s fervent flame,
It flows a torrent of liberty, rising afar.

Awake, O youth, in vows of fire,
Let the voiceless avenues shudder and resound;
From your cry, let blood’s red gleam
Illumine horizons where darkness was bound.

Patriotism is the resonance of a lyre,
The triumph-song of hearts unbowed;
Take your oath, break the fetters,
And let the flame of revolt ignite the crowd.

Freedom’s love is no transient longing,
But an eternal covenant, steadfast, sublime;
Where blood, tears, and laughter entwine,
To weave the nation’s epic across all time.