Nostalgia
Nostalgia is the yearning for people, places, or times, characterized by feelings of longing and sadness. Many individuals experience nostalgia, yet few express it openly. This emotion can overpower a person, making them wish for the return of bygone days and cherished memories, leaving them to perceive the world as devoid of beauty. Nostalgia is a natural human sentiment. In this article, we will explore some of the most beautiful expressions of longing and nostalgia.
Most Beautiful Quotes on Nostalgia and Longing
- The longing for you may transform from pain to joy if you knew that you were yearning for me at that moment.
- In my moments of missing you, all my thoughts become fixated on you, and longing pulls me towards you with great force.
- When we deeply miss someone, the world can feel as if it is empty of people.
- Longing is the clearest evidence of love. If you wish to test your beloved, let them miss you; distance will enlighten you with the radiance of victory upon your reunion.
- The ache of longing and the pain of separation torment me. I yearn for the distant past, for a time that cannot return, longing for a word, a glance, or a smile from you. Yet time deprives me of the sweetness of our encounters and the freshness of your sight.
- As for my mornings, they are filled with longing for you.
- She weeps in secret, laughs in public; such are the souls wearied by nostalgia.
- Love is the longing for another when far apart, yet feeling warmth in your heart because they remain close.
- When we long, we wish that every face around us mirrored one singular beloved face.
- Those who have not embraced the longing of life dissipate into its atmosphere and fade away.
- We need them; we feel a suffocating tightness around our souls, whispering in our hearts the depths of our yearning for them, fearing that the intensity of our desire might wound them.
- Love is the map of life, and longing is the indicator of death.
- I love you, and within me beats a thousand pulses fearful of losing you.
- Sometimes we endure silence because some things cannot be healed by words. There are many things I miss, and I am uncertain if they will return or remain forever as memories.
- Perhaps my soul has failed to meet you, and my eyes cannot behold you, but my heart has never and will never forget you.
- A tear falls, a candle extinguishes, and life without you fades away; without you, my heart ceases to exist.
- When we long, we feel the universe as a suffocating void, and our souls seem to gather elsewhere.
Reflections on Nostalgia
First Reflection:
Oh, companions of the past, let us return to our childhood memories, to relish and play in the days when we were merely children, unaware of the world beyond laughter and games. O my beloved doll, covered in the dust of time, how we were friends! I used to play with you and confide in you, unable to close my eyes without you by my side. I apologize, for I am no longer that little girl, yet how I long to spend the night beside you.
Second Reflection:
A crime of longing accompanied by nostalgia and a premeditated pursuit of your essence for years; its punishment is death by silent suffering. The winds rise; rescue me and awaken me from their overwhelming tempest, as the whisper in my heart connects through my veins, reviving the love that has traveled within me and stimulating the spirit of growing longing. Return me to that unique meeting; I adore you, my refuge, the sole love ruling my heart.
Third Reflection:
I miss the words that once filled my life with light, making my face shine and my heart leap, causing my body to tremble. Will they ever return? My tears and longings are not mere flotsam scattered by the winds; rather, they are a manifestation of the love I bear. I miss your presence, your breath, your glances, and your touches. Return and disregard the trivial matters.
Poem “I Contend with Longing for You”
Al-Mutanabbi, named Ahmad ibn al-Husayn al-Ja’fi al-Kufi al-Kindi, known as Abu al-Tayyib, is celebrated as one of the giants of Arabic literature. Born in Al-Tufah in Kinda and raised in the Levant, he falsely claimed prophethood in the desert of Al-Samawa, a region between Kufa and the Levant, but was captured by Lulwa, the Amir of Homs, who imprisoned him until he recanted his claim. Al-Mutanabbi praised the likes of Kafour al-Ikhshidi, Sayf al-Dawlah, and Adhud al-Dawlah ibn Buwaih al-Daylami. He was ultimately slain by Fatik ibn Abu Jahl al-Asadi. His poem “I Contend with Longing for You” reads:
I contend with longing for you while longing overwhelms me,
And wondrous is the separation while reunion amazes me.
Do the days not err in making me see
A foe keep his distance, or a beloved draw near?
And by God, my journey is seldom brief,
On the evening of the eastern wind and the western breeze.
On the evening when the one I neglected was closest to me,
And chose the two paths that I avoid.
And how many hands have told me in the depths of darkness
That falsehood betrays one’s fate.
May you be sheltered from the foes who conspire against you,
And visit you, adorned with handsome decorations.
And on a day like the lovers’ night, I lay in wait,
Watching for the sun, awaiting its descent.
My eyes to his ears, brilliant as if
One star lingers between his eyes and night.
There’s a quality about him, in his form,
That comes upon a broad chest and departs.
I pierced the darkness with it and drew closer to its reins,
So it exceeds and I tightly pull it back.
Who is the ferocious beast that I have followed with it,
And dismount from it, just as I ride it?
And horses are no different than friends, albeit scarce,
And though abundant in the eyes of the untested.
If you did not witness other than the beauty of its looks,
Then beauty remains hidden from you.
May God curse this world, a fleeting stop for a traveler,
So that every faraway grief in it is tortured.
Oh, how I wish to know whether I will compose a poem
So that I may not lament or regret in it.
What I possess drives the poetry from me,
But my heart, O daughter of the clan, is ever restless.
And the character of Kafour, should I desire to praise it,
If I choose not, it imposes itself upon me to write.
If a person left behind their family,
Then turned to Kafour, they would not be estranged.
A youth full of deeds, thoughts,
And occasionally yielding approval or discontent.
If his hand strikes in war with swords,
Then it becomes apparent that the sword strikes with his hand.
His bounties multiply beyond the quicksilver’s abundance,
And the clouds remain stationed until depletion.
O father of musk, does the cup offer you favor?
For I have been singing for a while while you drink.
You have given in equal measure to our time,
And my soul, in proportion to your hands, seeks.
If you do not hold for me a land or a governorship,
Your generosity adorns me, whereas your preoccupations strip me away.
In this feast, everyone jokes with their beloved,
While I weep for whom I love and ensure it.
I yearn for my family and long for their meetings,
And where from the longing comes the mythical phoenix?
If the only options were the father of musk or them,
You are sweeter in my heart and more delightful.
And every person who honors beauty is beloved,
And wherever nobility flourishes, it is good.
Those envious of you seek to win, but God wards off,
While the dusky highlands and tempered iron remain.
Moreover, there exist those who want to distance themselves from you yet won’t,
Until you live life to the fullest while aging.
If they seek you out, they shall be granted, and if they desire respect, they shall be denied.
And should I offer you a loan, it’s a battle that doesn’t yield,
But of things not intended as loans, none exists.
The most unjust of the unjust is the one who bears envy,
For he rests in his bounties and tumbles.
And you, who nurtured this kingdom in its infancy,
With no other mother or father for it.
You were like a lion, fearsome to your offspring,
And what provides you no return is the Hindu claw.
When you faced the spear, it was a noble act,
To death, in the heat of the battle, out of shame, you seek escape.
And it may abandon the soul that fears him,
And seize the soul that trembles in dread.
Yet there is none lacking in might or severity,
But those who faced battles were more resolute.
Honor them, and the lighting of the white in the pale is sincere,
And the spark of the white upon the pallor is fictitious.
You have forged swords that taught every suitor,
How to profess love and make it known.
And it will enrich you beyond what others say about you,
As the noble deeds direct themselves toward you.
And any clan that deserves you has its worth,
As a result of the stock of Adnan and beyond in vigor.
And I did not delight when I beheld you as a novelty,
I hoped to see you so I could exult.
And I am reproached for my enthusiasm for you,
As if by praising you I have erred.
Yet the path has been long, and I have not ceased,
To search for these words as they are plundered.
For the east stretches until there is no rising east,
And the west extends until there is no setting west.
If I proclaim it, it will not be avoided,
As there stands a high wall, or a tent fully raised.