Verses on Love by Nizar Qabbani
Oh my lady:
You were the most significant woman in my history
Before the year came to a close.
Now, you remain the most important woman
With the dawn of this new year.
You are not a woman whose value I measure by hours or days.
You are a woman,
Fashioned from the fruit of poetry,
And from the gold of dreams.
You are a woman who resided in my being
Millions of years ago.
Oh my lady:
Woven from cotton and clouds,
You are rain made of rubies,
Rivers flowing like Nahand,
Forests of marble.
You swim like fish in the waters of my heart,
Residing in my eyes like a flock of doves.
Nothing will alter my feelings,
My sensations,
My soul, my belief.
For I will steadfastly remain true to Islam.
Oh my lady:
Do not concern yourself with the passage of time and the names of the years.
You are a woman who will eternally be a woman, regardless of the time.
I will love you
As we enter the twenty-first century,
As we step into the twenty-fifth century,
And when we reach the twenty-ninth century.
I will love you
Even when the seas run dry,
And the forests catch fire.
Verses on Optimism by Elia Abu Madi
He lamented: “The sky is gloomy!”
I replied: “Smile, it’s enough with the frowns in the sky!”
He complained: “Youth has departed!” I said: “Smile!”
Regret will not bring back that fleeting youth!
He sighed, “She who was my sky in love
Has now become a hell for my heart.”
She betrayed the vows after I entrusted my heart to her,
How can I endure a smile now?
I said: “Smile and rejoice! If you dwell on it
You will spend your life in sorrow.”
I added: “Smile, for you are still alive,
And you are not bereft of love!”
He bewailed: “Fate has given me bitterness.”
I insisted: “Smile, even if you taste the bitterness,
For perhaps someone will see you and be uplifted.”
Cast aside despair and let laughter abound.
Do you think you’ll profit from frustration and dread?
Or are you losing joy by wearing a frown?
Fear not to let a smile grace your lips,
And let not your face be downcast.
Laugh, for the stars laugh, and the night
Is tumultuous; that’s why we love the constellations!
He remarked: “A smile won’t bring happiness to anyone,
As they come to this world against their will.”
I countered: “Smile, for there is but an inch between you and the grave,
And after that, you will not smile again.”
Verses on Morality by Ma’ruf Al-Rusafi
Morality grows like a plant,
If watered with the waters of virtue.
It flourishes when nurtured by a mentor,
Rooting in the soil of virtue.
It rises towards noble deeds harmoniously,
Like the pipes of an irrigation canal.
Reviving the spirit of glory with blooms,
Whose fragrance is inviting.
I have found no better sanctuary for beings
Than the warm embrace of mothers.
As Al-Shafi’i wisely said:
“When I forgive and harbor no grudge against anyone,
I free myself from the burdens of animosity.”
Indeed, I greet my enemy when I see him,
To ward off harm from me with my salutation.
And I show kindness to those whom I dislike,
As my heart is filled with love for humanity.
People are a malady, yet proximity is their cure,
And in their absence lies a severed bond.
As Abu Al-Aswad Al-Du’ali stated:
“Do not admonish in virtue while committing the same,”
For such behavior brings shame upon you.
Start with yourself and refrain from wrongdoing,
Once you cease, you will be seen as wise.
Then your advising will be accepted, and knowledge will flow,
Brought forth from you; and instruction will benefit.
Woe to the companion who is sorrowful,
For he bears the weight of his anguish.
And you may find cheerful companions, idle,
While upon the sad one rests heaviness and gloom.
And when you say, “What troubles you?” remember,
With one tongue they are free, and with another, they are suppressed.
Do not speak ill of your cousin unjustly,
For if you do, you injure your own reputation.
Verses Describing a Friend by Mahmoud Sami Al-Baroudi
A true friend is not defined by lofty status,
But by the purity of their character.
When fate challenges you, they remain steadfast,
And in times of sorrow, they do not waver.
They care for you both in hardship and ease,
And never fail to share their generosity.
Not like those who feign affection, while inside,
They boil with the embers of resentment.
They may criticize a brother’s deeds, feigning sorrow,
To mislead others into thinking they are troubled.
But that is merely enmity masked as camaraderie,
So beware of them, for God will expose them.