Prominent Poets Who Celebrated the Beauty of Nature
Numerous poets have eloquently described the enchanting beauty of nature in their verses. Below, we explore some of the most notable poets and their works that vividly depict nature’s splendor:
Ibn Khafajah
The poet Ibn Khafajah composed many lines celebrating the beauty of nature in Andalusia, portraying it as a paradise on Earth due to its purity and temperate climate. Here are some of his expressive verses:
O people of Andalusia, how glorious you are,
With water, shade, rivers, and trees.
Heaven itself is not but in your lands,
If I could choose, this is what I would select.
Fear not that after this you shall enter Hell,
For after paradise, one cannot enter the fire.
Ibn Sahal Al-Andalusi
In a captivating poem, Ibn Sahal Al-Andalusi extols the beauty of the earth and its flowers, alongside the rivers that trace its landscape. Below are lines from this enchanting work:
The land has donned a green garment,
With dew sprinkling jewels upon its terrain.
As if the flowers are camphor,
And I thought the earth itself is musk—exquisite.
As if the lily stretches to embrace the rose,
A mouth that kisses a blushing cheek.
The river, running between the meadows,
Is like a sword caught in a green sheath.
And the gentle breeze, as it flows through,
Seems to embellish the pages with verses.
As if it gleams like polished silver,
Transformed by the sun’s hand into yellow gold.
Or like cheeks that appear fair,
Blushing with shyness, turning pink.
And the birds have taken it as a pulpit,
Only choosing the bramble as their lectern.
Ahmad Shawqi
The renowned poet Ahmad Shawqi wrote a compelling poem that depicts the breathtaking beauty of nature and the marvelous signs of God’s creation in the heavens and the earth, dispelling doubts in any observer who beholds them. Here are some selected verses from his work:
O nature, stop with us, O traveler,
So I may show you the wondrous work of the Creator.
The earth around you and the sky trembled,
In the face of marvelous signs and relics.
From every word that speaks of magnificence,
As if it were the mother of the Book on the reader’s tongue.
It indicates the King of Kings, leaving no room
For the evidence of scholars and clerics.
Whoever doubts it, a glance at His creation
Erases the sinful doubts and denial.
The veil lifted from the horizons, and nature shone,
Without any veil shielding her essence.
I compared her to Bilqis upon her throne,
In splendor, accompanied by distinguished courtiers.
Or like Solomon’s son, with an expansive reign,
And among him, great pillars of glory.
Whistles of the winds whisper through his gates,
And the birds therein bow their beaks low.
They rise overhead in the gardens, as if they were
Ridwaan presenting paradise to the righteous.
How much in the charming traits—part of her maidens,
With anklets and bracelets adorning them.
Elia Abu Madi
Lebanese poet Elia Abu Madi created a beautiful poem reflecting the allure of trees and nature in September. Below are some lines from this exquisite piece:
Beauty surrounds you in the valleys and hilltops,
So look, do you not see the splendor as I do?
September walks through the fields and hills,
And the earth in September appears more splendid.
A month that distributes in nature its art,
A tree that claps or a sparkle bursting forth.
For the light is a flowing magic and the water is poetry,
Exuding the fragrance of the earth.
Do not think of rivers as just dancing water,
These are his songs turned into streams.
Look at the trees shedding green,
Adorning themselves in red or yellow.
They expose and cloak at the same time,
And art resides in both their attire and nudity.
As if there’s a hidden fire there,
That ignites as it yearns to be felt.
And the colors melt like the hues of dawn,
And melodies swirl and drift with amber.
Images and visions appear light,
As if they are images seen in dreams.
To God belongs September, a captivating month,
Preceding the months, even if he arrives late.
Who can compose or weave like he has done,
Or picture what he has portrayed?
His fingers touched the sky and lit it,
And traversed the earth, bringing light.
He restored magnificence to life and turned me,
From the land of New York back to the mother of villages.
Nazek Al-Malaika
Iraqi poetess Nazek Al-Malaika penned a poem titled “In the Embrace of Nature,” wherein she beautifully described the magic of nature, inviting those around her to indulge in its elements such as mountains, snow, and birds. Here are some key verses from her work:
O poets in love with melody
And the spirit of imagination and tunes,
Stay away, stay away from love and escape
Your songs from sinful desires.
Flee, do not tarnish the world of art
With these human emotions.
Preserve for the arts their sacred temple,
And sing their holy melodies.
You have tasted life’s sweetest delicacies
And won its bounties.
Others dwell in its dark nights,
While you live under its luminous gaze.
Be content with your melancholy and adore the art,
And live in the solitude of prophets.
Tomorrow, ages will call out your name,
And you will dwell in the realm of the sky.
Be satisfied in your life with the love of art
And the magic of nature, revered.
Dream of birds in the shadows of trees
Between soaring and singing.
Adore the snow upon the mountains’ slopes
And the flowers in the valleys’ swells.
Listen to the song of the nightingale,
As it sings amidst the dark of nights.
Sit in the shade of the willows
And listen to the babble of water.
Draw inspiration from the raindrop’s melody,
For it is the sweetest of ideas and inspirations.
Sing along with the shepherds as they pass
By the cottage with their beautiful flock.
And love the palms, the wheat, and the flowers,
And be enchanted by the beauties of the fields.
The willows provide a better shade
Than the shadows of palaces and balconies.
And the shepherds’ songs are the purest melodies
Compared to the noise of horns and wheels.