The Stone Serpent: Barates of Palmyra’s Elegy for Regina his Beloved

by Nouri al-Jarrah, Catherine Cobham (Translation)

Syrian poet Nouri al-Jarrah brings to life a story that can never again be lost in time after a single line in Aramaic on a tombstone fired his imagination. This inspiring epic poem awakens two extraordinary lovers, Barates, a Syrian from Palmyra, and Regina, the Celtic slave he freed and married, from where they have lain at rest beside Hadrian’s Wall for eighteen centuries, and tells their unique story. Barates’ elegy to his beloved wife, who died young at 30, is, however, not about mythologizing history. With the poet himself an exile in Britain for 40 years from his birthplace of Damascus, the poem forges new connections with today, linking al-Jarrah’s personal journey with that of his ancient forebear Barates, who resisted slavery with love.

Barates’ Eastern song also questions whether the young Celtic fighters, the Tattooed Ones, were really barbarians, as they emerged from forest mists to defend their hills and rivers and their way of life from the Romans, and died or lay wounded at the twisting stone serpent that was Hadrian’s Wall.

112 pages, Paperback

Published July 11, 2023

About the author

Nouri al-Jarrah (Arabic: نوري الجراح) (born 1956 in Damascus) is a Syrian poet. He moved to Beirut in 1981, then to Cyprus and finally to London working as journalist in a number of Arabic newspapers and magazines.

al-Jarrah established a literary magazine named Al-Katiba of which 15 issues have been published and has also published a number of poem collections.

He is also a director of The Center for Arabic Geographical Literature-Exploration Prospects which is based in Abu Dhabi and London. The institute has published a number of works relating to Arab travel literature, most significantly Hassan Taufik al Idl travels in late 19th century Germany.

(from Wikipedia)