Nostalgia and Yearning
Nostalgia and yearning are emotions often associated with separation and involuntary farewells. The feeling of longing for someone who was once present in our lives, adding joy to our moments together, can be truly overwhelming. While life may take away a friend or a loved one, it cannot erase the emotions of yearning and nostalgia that remain within us. In this article, we will explore some of the most beautiful poems and quotes about longing and nostalgia.
Quotes about Longing and Nostalgia
- I do not miss you; I miss the person I thought you were.
- If days do not unite us, memories surely will.
- I have someone who advised me to take care of myself immensely, unaware that I lose myself with every absence.
- Perhaps my soul is incapable of meeting you, and my eyes are unable to see you, but my heart hasn’t forgotten you. If eyes don’t see you, the heart will not forget you.
- My longing for you isn’t the problem, but the thought of whether you will return or not is killing me.
- Is it possible that distances can separate us, yet our quivering chests bring us together, oh you who possess my heart and soul? You whom I loved and who made my world revolve around you.
- Saying goodbye doesn’t hurt until I know you won’t say hello again.
- My longing for you could transform from pain to joy if only I knew you missed me at that moment.
- I shed a tear in one of the oceans; if they could retrieve it, I promise to forget you.
- The longing for you constantly tortures me; you occupy my thoughts day and night.
- Our dreams build castles from sand, and with the first wave of reality, those castles collapse—my nostalgia seeks a palace that merges my reality with dreams.
- When we separated, I wished for a marketplace selling years, to return hearts and revive nostalgia.
- The night came along with the scent of nostalgia, drifting from afar.
- During moments of yearning for you, all my thoughts focus on you, evading me, while longing and nostalgia deeply pull me towards you.
- You may be far from my sight, but you are never far from my thoughts.
- Some people remain in our hearts despite great distances and times that could easily divide us.
- If I had a rose for every moment I thought of you, I would have a garden to wander through my entire life.
Reflections on Yearning
Reflection One:
I love her, and my longing for her intensifies. I cherished her, and my heart aches at the sight of her tears. I understand her when I see longing in her eyes; how I long to embrace her, how I adore the smile from her lips and the laughter in her voice. I even cherish the fragrance of her perfume. I asked her how much she misses me, and she replied, “As much as the clouds long for their rain, as much as doves long for their nests, as a mother longs for her child, as the night longs for the day, as a flower longs for nectar, as the eye longs for its kohl, as a love poem longs for its muse, as a song longs for its melody.” I told her, “Is all of this yearning?” She replied, “No, but even more.” For you alone are my love in this world. I delighted in her magic, weaving words of love around her, and I retained the poems of love just for her; I kept them sacred. How can I describe her? My heart falters for I would do her injustice. My love, my queen, my little one—none of this is enough for the soul I have sheltered; my adored one in love. Oh, birds of love, carry my greetings and my love to her, and let her know that I await her.
Reflection Two:
My beloved, what is it that captivates our hearts so deeply? Is it the love that has ignited countless springs of yearning within us? Is it the passion that knows no death, even if it endures centuries? Is it the light that shone in the soul and became manifest? Or is it the tenderness in your nature, your heart, and your eyes that seduces me to the point of surrender? Oh, beloved, seeking the unknown like me, who adores love and ardently desires you, is it my sighs that confirm my existence in a realm of secrets? Oh, how exquisite you are upon my heart’s throne, ever-present with glory and love that is forever tied to me. I pour my affection into you, for I have emptied my love within you.
Poetry about Longing
The Poem “On the Day of Farewell, You Created Longing”
This poem is written by the poet أبو تمام, also known as حبيب بن أوس بن الحارث الطائي, one of the prominent figures in eloquence. He was born in جاسم, a village in حوران, Syria. He was known for his dark complexion, tall stature, and eloquent tongue, and his poetry is characterized by its strength and magnificence. As for his poem, it reads:
On the day of farewell, you have crafted for me a long yearning,
You left me with neither skin nor reason.
Had the traveler of doom intended anything,
It would have been farewell as a sign to the souls.
“They say it’s a departure,” I did not doubt that it means,
My soul craves to leave this world.
Patience is beautiful, but it breeds a longing
In love deeply felt to be beautiful.
Do you consider I can find solace?
When the dove has already found its way to me!
To curb the difficult rebellion is an easier request
Than to dry the tears that have flown from your sight.
The harsh winds in the night still remember you,
So I wept for your absence from dawn until dusk.
And in my thoughts, the moon that dwells in the depth
Became safeguarded from separation and made visible.
I gazed upon separation and found it to be,
A sword upon me with love being its sheath.
Do not hold me accountable for time, for I don’t have
Affiliation, nor am I a guarantor of time.
Whoever stands against the days has thus become,
Discontented and cannot be restored.
Whoever grazed the pasture of determination and worries,
For desires have yet to be fulfilled.
Had the ruler of contentment allocated
The least for the creation, it would not have been considered too little.
Do not bear resentment against it, for it arrives,
Without you sending messages to it.
By God, how barren a passage of emptiness,
Would not frighten the heart of a timid child.
Oh daughter of the void, when will you embrace me?
Without leaving anything in my heart.
Do you not see it? Do you not see it? A shudder,
That bemuses the eyes, engaging in pride!
If anyone needs me, let them ask of me,
On such an occasion that may be grand.
He is vigilant when troubles surround him,
And I find him smiling through the shocks.
He continues to grant them repeatedly until it can be said,
What creation held back allodial rights?
The permanence of a station sees the tribe as one,
And he may count them—acting like a tribe unto himself.
How many moments of dignity were you proud in,
And you left with all that was within your grasp.
You established a foray into the land of miserliness,
Leaving traces of the past more than in the present.
Thus, I have seen the most abundant gifts you have been granted,
In minuscule quantities and the least amount of gratitude expressed.
No one has left behind in glory those who distributed kindness,
In wealth to those in need.
Has عمر spread kindness among the people,
Until we craved the bounty of the miser?
Clutch your hands with the rope of Noah firmly,
And you will find him a string intertwined with kindness.
That is if your friend could show you,
“Alas, I should have never taken him as a companion.”
I Struggle with Yearning, Yet Yearning Struggles Against Me
This poem is by المتنبي, known as أحمد بن الحسين بن الحسن بن عبد الصمد الجعفي الكوفي الكندي أبو الطيب المتنبي, born in الكوفة, from a region called كندة. He is celebrated for his verses, especially in praise of سيف الدولة. In this poem, he writes:
I struggle with yearning for you, yet yearning is the victor,
And I am astonished by this separation, and the reunion is even more astonishing.
Do the days ever err in my regard,
Against a hateful one who keeps their distance or a beloved one who draws near?
And by God, what has my evening brought of trivialities,
On this Eastern evening with a forgetting heart and a wandering joy.
That night, among the people who I distanced,
I was granted the two paths that I avoid.
And what hands of darkness there are upon you,
To tell me that the truth about your presence lies!
May you fall prey to the enemies who find their way to you,
And the caress of admiration should come your way.
And a day, like the night for lovers, I lay in wait for,
I watch for the sun, longing for the moment it sets.
And my eyes, like those of a pitcher, have given,
From the darkness a star between its eyes shining bright.
He possesses an excellence beyond his body clad,
Arriving upon a broad chest but departing so fleetingly.
I pierced the darkness and approached his crown,
To impose norms and observe how it engages.
And I shall defeat whatever beast I attached myself to,
And I shall dismount him just as I would a fawn.
And steeds are nothing but rare friends;
Although they seem abundant in those who do not experience them.
If you do not see beyond their graceful coats,
And their limbs, beauty is lost upon the absent heart.
(Allah bless him) with this world as a site for the traveler;
For every heavy heart enjoys prolonged affliction.
Only, my poetry holds no echo of expectation,
In that I do not lament in this moment.
What burdens my spirit is a barrier in my words,
Yet my heart contradicts you, lovely daughter of the people.
And the characteristics of كافور are known if I desire to praise it,
And if I do not desire, you still dictate and I shall write.
If a person abandons their family and meanders,
They will not find a better home than that of كافور.
A brave one fills with deeds wisdom and insight,
Yet he is seldom pleased or angered.
As he strikes in war with his fine sword,
I have come to discover that the sword in hand strikes not.
His generosity flourishes whilst submerged in the torrents,
While the rains cease to bespeak fresh wealth.
Oh, heir of grace, is there favor I may secure from this cup?
For I sing, having been intoxicated while sipping.
And it is your time, just the measure of my hands returning,
As I am content with nothing but your measure in my soul.
If you do not bind me to invest or govern,
Your generosity covers my needs, whilst your care enslaves.
Everyone in this festivity pleases his beloved;
While I mourn for whom I love and grieve.
I long for my family and desire our reunion;
And where is the phoenix in the distance from the yearning?
If there were only the heir of grace or those with them,
You remain sweeter, beloved, and dear in my heart.
And every person loves a beautiful quality,
And all places are enriched with honor and decency.
What the envious desire for you, God protects;
And those noble men with tunics made of steel.
As for what they covet, if only they could abandon it,
You will live through death and experience the child’s aging.
If they seek you, they would indeed find you, and would be judged,
And if they sought credit, it would fail them.
If it could be given back to you, efficiently and surely,
But some things can simply never be offered.
The most unjust of the unjust are those who want to harm,
Those who sought from their blessings and gloat in the shadows.
In you, I have seen the nurturing of the kingdom;
None but you may nurse it, nor any father.
And you remain the lion of the lair for your offspring,
And all there remains is the sweetness of distillation.