Mahmoud Darwish’s Poem on Love
In his poignant reflection on love, Mahmoud Darwish writes:
Just as grass sprouts between the crevices of a rock,
One day we found ourselves as strangers.
The spring sky was composing stars… and stars.
I was composing a verse of love…
For your eyes, I sang it!
Do your eyes know how long I waited,
Like a bird waiting for summer?
I slept… like a migrant sleeps,
One eye falls asleep so the other can awaken… for a long time.
And weep for its sister.
We are lovers, until the moon falls asleep.
We are friends; walk by my side, hand in hand,
Together we create news and songs.
Why question this road… to which destiny
Does it lead us?
And from where were our footsteps gathered?
It suffices for me, and for you, that we walk…
Together, forever.
Why search for the songs of sorrow
In an ancient poetry collection?
And ask, oh our love! Will it last?
I love you like caravans love a lush oasis of grass and water,
And like a poor man loves a loaf of bread!
Just as grass sprouts between the crevices of a rock,
We were once strangers,
But we remain companions forever.
Nizar Qabbani’s Poem on Love
Nizar Qabbani addresses his beloved:
My beloved: If they ask you about me
One day, don’t ponder too long.
Tell them with all pride,
“(… he loves me… he loves me a lot.)”
My little one: If they reproach you one day
About how you cut your silky hair,
And how you shattered a beautiful vase
After nurturing it for months,
When it radiated the shades and fragrance of summer in my land.
Tell them: “I cut my hair
(“…because the one I love loves it short.”)
My princess: If we danced together
To the melody of our favorite tune,
And within seconds,
Our existence became light and radiance,
With you feeling like a butterfly ready to take flight,
Continue your dance in silence…
And make a bed of my ribs,
And murmur with all pride:
(“… he loves me… he loves me a lot.”)
My beloved: If they tell you I have
No slaves or palaces
And no diamond necklace to adorn your delicate neck,
Tell them with grandeur,
“Oh, my first and last love,”
Tell them: “(… enough for me
(… is that he loves me a lot.”)
My beloved, oh a thousand times my beloved,
My love for your eyes is vast,
… and will always remain vast.
Ahmad Shawqi’s Poem on Love
Ahmad Shawqi expresses:
As much as love inspires, so comes regret;
And those whom I scold would give their lives.
I blame my tormentor, only to blame myself,
For it angers her, while affliction pleases her.
If I could, I would repent,
But how could I turn from my soul’s yearning?
My heart is rewarded for loving,
And the owner is rewarded by what he reaps.
If punishment were found, I would face it,
But the wild deer has no punishment.
Those who blame me have not witnessed
The rightness that once faded in people.
I awakened, yet the solace denies my heart,
While the joy of youth returns.
As if love’s reins have seized my heart,
For there is no veil before passion.
As if the tales of longing are but a prelude,
A story that remains unfinished.
As if I and love are partners in intoxication,
Bound by an oath, and together we share.
Whenever I reign in my love that adores me,
The vow revives, and the cup extends.
Poem of Love and Spring
Ibrahim Nagy proclaims:
Renew love and recall to me spring,
For I have lived for beauty’s sake.
I long to be wrapped in the foliage of the thicket,
Seeking refuge behind flowers’ embrace.
Oh, guide me among all companions,
And let the gathering be in spring.
Do not tell me to seek pleasure and prestige,
For beauty’s goodness I won’t trade.
The world and its treasures belong to others,
For I am enchanted by exquisite beauty.
For its sake, I defied and suffered,
And vowed not to obey any other.
With spring’s sweetness, I feast on flowers,
And fragrances without enduring hunger.
For it suffices as nourishment if the world
Turns desolate and homes become barren.
A Poem on Love’s Separation
Abo Abbas laments:
When my beloved rejected me,
And no messages came from him or news.
My longing intensified to the point it nearly killed me
The memory of my beloved, along with my thoughts and turmoil.
I called upon the devil, then spoke to him
In solitude, as tears cascaded:
Do you not see how I have been afflicted, as my eyelids
Have been wounded by crying and sleeplessness?
If you do not bestow affection upon my heart,
Dear beloved, and you are able,
I spoke no poetry nor heard any song,
Nor did intoxication flow in my veins.
Yet I continue to study the Quran,
I dwell within its lessons and reflect.
I observe fasting and prayer, and I continue,
My days guided by goodness.
Not three cycles passed
Before my beloved returned, seeking forgiveness.