By: Les Zammit
Who is this man they call the master of verse and literature?
Who is this man they call Charbel Baini?
Is he a magician that uses words and gestures instead of the traditional magic hat and cane?
Some observers who have seen him totally memorize his audience may think that he is a magician.
But, no, Charbel is no magician. He is a very intense man who is full of love for his fellow Lebanese and for his native Lebanon.
He is miraculously gifted with the ability to powerfully communicate with his fellow man.
Amasingly Charbel has the incredible ability to communicate across languages. He is able to be understood by people of all languages.
When Charbel recites his verse in Arabic all people listen. All people understand.
Those people, like myself, who do not speak Arabic, listen to every word. We understand. Our lives are enriched by the experience.
I start to realise that Charbel has a great deal of love and trust for his Lebanese. Likewise, I realise that the Lebanese have a great deal of love and trust for Charbel. As I watch and listen I also realise that this love and trust is not weak. It is strong. It has developed into a high level of respect between Charbel and the Lebanese community.
I speak of love. I speak not of the love that a man has for a woman. Instead I speak of the love that a man has for his family, his friends and his country.
Charbel shows this special love every time utters one of his magic words.
His audience, also, shows this special love every time they gasp, sigh or clap at Charbel's words.
But why do the Lebanese love Charbel?
Perhaps to find an answer to this question we have to search somewhere deep in the hearts and minds of the Lebanese people.
It is the heart and the that Charbel affects the most by his verse and his recitations.
It becomes obvious to me that charbel's skilful use of the pen cuts deeper than the sharpest sword.
His absolute mastery of recitation and his unmatched skill at speech making, affect at both the physical level and the emotional level.
Charbel has that rare ability to say, through his verse, what many people think and feel, but what few people are able to say or write.
He stirs the emotions and the intellect to a point where heart and mind are powerfully welded into one.
As I listen to this man who they call the master of verse and literature, I am not reminded of a magician, but, instead, I am reminded of a policeman whose job is to control the traffic.
When he tells you to stop – you stop.
When he tells you to go – you go.
However, Charbel also has that incredible ability to make you think whilst you have stopped, and when he tells you to go you move off in slightly different direction.
Through his words Charbel leads us to follow a direction that will result in love, trust and respect for all people.
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