Love and Romance
Love encompasses the emotions, feelings, and sensations that arise between two individuals. It is akin to a bird soaring through the embrace of the sky, a deep reliance one partner has on the other, experiencing safety, warmth, and tenderness. Many poets have beautifully articulated their emotions and feelings for their beloved, and here we present some exquisite love and romance poems.
The Innocence of Youthful Love
Khalil Gibran, a Lebanese poet, writer, and painter, is celebrated as one of the influential poets of the diaspora. Born in 1883 and passing away in 1931, one of his most beautiful poems about love is as follows:
Love and what was once naive in youth,
A call from a maiden, yet you did not say “wait.”
True lovers answer their call eagerly,
While the disobedient cannot claim affection.
Can any blessing truly bring joy
If it were not accompanied by joy’s true companions?
Can glory be sought by one who has not been supported
By the gaze of a noble visage?
O descendant of Jacob, you hold the ambitions
Of greatness, witness the children of nobility.
Your father, the liberator, roamed lands
Where his stature remains unsurpassed.
Yet you stand, in the orchard, by lineage,
And you, with intellect, surpass bounds.
Your healing touch is a source of knowledge,
With your spirit mending a troubled conscience.
If you begin a matter, you can end it, yet
The past seems less burdensome as time flows.
Do not see fear where you sense it,
For safety exists; do not linger in regret.
Generosity blooms, neither scowling nor surly,
With a good heart, multiplied in its exchange.
What grace lies in a beautiful rescue,
A handsome face at your behest and undeterred.
The joy of youth is commendable;
You have seized what no other youth has attained.
As you two, the bright stars of dawn, unite,
May loyalty and honor flourish abundantly.
You embrace your fortune this day,
In the fresh bloom of life ahead.
Enter through the gates of joy to rest
In the paradise lent by life itself.
The gardens offer their lilies, roses, and scents,
And poetry has adorned you with its finest tapestry.
Every flower unfurls its tale,
In every setting, presenting a fragrant chapter.
Words and phrases blossom forth,
Like the soul exuding joy in its essence.
The portals of elegance and nobility invite you,
With your deeds echoing into eternity.
O delightful wedding of eyes witnessing,
You found not a previous equal in the days of yore.
In this pure retreat of commitment and charm,
In harmony with your paths, such grace shall unfold.
My heartfelt wishes for your happiness,
Live joyously and nurture a righteous legacy.
My Heart Longs for You
Ahmad Shawqi, a prominent Egyptian writer and poet, known as the Prince of Poets, was born and passed away in Egypt (1868-1932). Here is a glimpse of his poignant expressions of love and romance:
Oh how I miss you, my spirit resides in you,
To whom shall I complain my heart’s tale?
Should I turn to one able to guide you
And fulfill the longings of the patient?
My state in your absence does not please you,
Where was your reasoning when you loved?
For another’s sake, you turn cold, yet
Your heart longed for our reunion.
What befalls my heart, what fate decrees?
Is magic at play or has my mind faltered?
The scheming of the blindfolded rivals me,
Yet hear me out:
You capture my heart without intention,
And by grace, love burns me, come see.
The deceit of the indifferent is ever unveiled,
While I, through patience, arrive at my hopes.
Tomorrow we shall hear, by and by we shall see.
The Book of Love
Nizar Qabbani, a contemporary Syrian poet and diplomat, was renowned as the poet of women. One of his most beautiful poems dedicated to his wife, Balqis, resonates deeply:
As long as you are my green bird,
My beloved!
Then in the heavens,
My love inquires:
What distinguishes me from the heavens?
The difference lies in the fact that when you smile, my beloved,
I forget the skies.
Love, my dear,
Is a beautiful poem written upon the moon.
Love is drawn on every leaf of the tree
And inscribed on the feathers of birds and raindrops.
Yet in my land, any woman who loves a man,
Is stoned with fifty stones.
When I fell in love,
The kingdom of the Lord transformed.
The gloom now sleeps within my cloak,
And the sun rises from the west.
Oh Lord, my heart is no longer sufficient,
For the one I cherish rivals the world.
Others could find their place in my heart,
One adding to the expansive universe.
You still inquire about my birthday,
So note this fact, my dear, which you do not comprehend:
Your love marks the date of my birth.
If the genie were to emerge from his bottle,
And say to me, ‘You have one minute,’
To choose all you desire,
From diamonds and emeralds,
I would choose your eyes without hesitation,
Those eyes, dark and shining,
Glistening like the rain.
I ask only two things of my Lord:
To preserve those eyes,
And grant me two additional days,
To write poetry
About these treasures.
If you were, my friend, on par with my lunacy,
I would cast aside all jewels,
And sell all your bracelets,
To sleep within your gaze.
Count on your fingers all that follows:
First, my beloved, you are.
Second, my beloved, you are.
Third, my beloved, you are.
Fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth,
Beloved, you are!
Tenth…
Poems of Old Love
Mohammed Darwish, a Palestinian poet associated with the themes of revolution and homeland, is among the most recognized figures in modern Arabic poetry. He seamlessly intertwines his love for his homeland with passion for his beloved. Here is a selection of his most moving love poems:
On the ruins, I appeared,
Our faces etched on the sand.
When the summer winds blew,
We gracefully revealed the handkerchiefs,
Savoring moments with every gentle breeze.
We vanished amid melodies like captives,
Evading a droplet of dew.
Come, let us ponder once again,
O sister!
The late hours of night peel away colors and shadows,
Revealing me from dishonor.
And in your eyes, my ancient moon,
My roots pull me towards a peaceful slumber,
Underneath the sun and palm trees,
Distant from the shadows of exile,
Near to the warm embrace of home.
I longed for childhood within you,
Since the birds of spring took flight.
The trees stood bare,
And your voice, as it once was,
Would come to me sometimes from the wells.
And sometimes drop gently like rain,
Pure, like fire.
Come back,
For there was something in your eyes that I desired,
And I awaited your touch.
Bind me within your arms,
Bind me as a captive,
I craved the joys of childhood with you,
Since the spring birds took flight.
And we would wander on our path,
Chained like prisoners,
I did not know whether my hand or yours
Held the pain neither could release.
As each time, we would find paths anew,
With each rush of the crowd,
Searching for our little possessions.
Yet we left no ashes of our evening,
For something within my veins
Calls for a sip from your hand,
To quench the memories,
Once, a star descended,
And walked upon our fingertips,
Never getting weary.
And when I sipped from your lips,
The taste of mulberries revived,
Including everything in our memories and shared moments.
And when you left,
I did not fade from your memory,
Like a cloud hovering towards the west,
Yet if I strive to forget you,
A star alights upon my hand.
To your glory,
Wander through my imagination,
For in my confinement, I still,
Lean on a cushion,
And I sense you in the cold nights,
Being the warmth in my veins.
I call you childhood,
With glories flaring up,
I name you spring,
In the floral fields that bloom.
I call you sky,
With the light rain that arrives.
To your glory,
For my joy knows no bounds,
And my meetings with you carry no promises.
To your glory,
And the darkness faded away,
As the sun arranged its hair on the sea,
With the last kiss alighting,
The embers on my eyes.
Take from me the winds,
And grant me one last kiss in this lifetime,
And the dawn revealed itself,
As the sun grooms its locks in the east,
With henna and celebrations,
And a ticket to the palace of joy.
Take from me the melodies,
And remember me;
Like a flash of lightning.
And the dusk found me,
Alyaa,
As the bells toll for the procession of the lovely captive,
And my heart chilled like a diamond,
My dreams packed in boxes by the harbor.
Take from me the beauty of spring,
And bid me farewell.