We come here by way of Shiraz
Shiraz, the land of lovers
Shiraz, the land of those who suffered
Shiraz, the land of poets and seers
Shiraz, where we come from

We come here by way of Shiraz
Shirazi is what they call us
Shirazi girls are famous of course
For their beauty and ample brows

Shirazi’s are said not be in a hurry
We take our time
Shirazi’s are said to be gentle and patient
They don’t sweat the small stuff

We come here by way of Shiraz
We can trace our lives back to it
We can tell the stories of those who we knew
The streets we walked
The sites we saw
We can remember the neighbourhoods
Of this blessed town

We come here by way of Shiraz
We’ve found each other at Green Acre
Having lived in many climes
Since those long ago days in Shiraz

From the hot cities of Kenya
To the rainy ones in Luxembourg
From beautiful British Columbia
To the State of Virginia

We have come here by way of Shiraz
But we’ve seen the world in the meantime
Crossed oceans and mountains and lands
We have experienced ups and downs

But here we are at Green Acre
Four ladies from Shiraz
Sitting around the table
Sharing tales
Sharing our sorrows and triumphs

We come here by way of Shiraz
Our hearts full of gratitude and love
We can trace these feelings of love
Back to the magical city of Shiraz

Shiraz, the city in the valley
Shiraz, the city of a new dawn
Shiraz, the city of Mona and Roya
Shiraz, we keep you in our hearts

Lida Berghuis
December 30th, 2013