Poem: “Afeq on Afeq”
The renowned poet Al-Mutanabbi expresses:
A lingering distress upon distress surrounds me,
And passion intensifies, with tears poised to fall.
The effort of longing is to be as I perceive it,
A troubled gaze and a heart that races.
Whenever lightning flickers or a bird sings,
I am drawn in, my heart aflame with desire.
I have tasted the flames of love, never dimmed,
The fire of leaning grass leaves my heart scorched.
I have reproached the lovers until I experienced it myself,
And I marveled how one could die without love.
I excused them, realizing my own guilt
For I criticized them and faced the same repercussions.
O my kin, we are of a lineage,
Forever is the raven of separation that croaks among us.
We mourn for this world, though no group
Has ever gathered that did not part ways.
Where are the powerful kings who amassed treasures,
Yet they have vanished and left no trace behind?
From those whose armies spread across the land,
Until a narrow grave now envelops them.
They were mute when called, as if unaware
That speech was a privilege granted freely to them.
Death is imminent, and souls are precious,
While the obstinate are the fools clinging to their possessions.
Humans hold desires as life appears desirable,
And old age weighs heavy, while youth cries out for joy.
I have indeed wept for youth, my lament
Darkened my spirit, and my face lost its glow.
Out of caution for it before its day of departure,
I almost overflowed with the tears of my eyes.
As for the sons of Aws, the clan of Maan,
They are the most noble where they are honored.
I have pondered around their strongholds when they appeared,
From them, the suns arise, even when the dawn is absent.
I was astonished by a land where the hands are like clouds
That neither dry up nor yield growth from its stones.
And the fragrances of their praise waft
To every place and are inhaled with admiration.
The scent of musk fills the air, yet without their essence,
The fragrance becomes wild and unrefined.
Do I wish for a figure like Muhammad in our time?
Do not ensnare us with the pursuit of the unattainable.
The Merciful has not created another like Muhammad,
I hold the belief that He shall not create anyone like him.
O You, who grants abundantly and possesses,
I seek only through generosity to obtain from you.
Rain down upon me from the clouds of your bounty,
And gaze upon me with a mercy that I will not drown in.
A falsehood echoed by the son of a maid,
That the noble have died while You are alive, providing.
Poem: “When the People Seek Life”
Aboo Al-Qasim Al-Shabi states:
When the people one day desire life,
Then surely destiny must respond.
And it is inevitable that the night will fade,
And the chains will eventually break apart.
For he who does not embrace the longing for life,
Will vanish into thin air, not to be seen.
Woe to him who does not experience life,
For he shall be slapped by the victorious void.
This is what beings have conveyed to me,
And the hidden spirit speaks to me.
The winds roared over the valleys,
Across the mountains and beneath the trees.
Whenever I aspire to a goal,
I ride on dreams, forgetting caution.
I do not shy away from rocky shoals,
Nor from the blaze of raging flames.
He who fears ascending the mountains
Will live eternally amid the pits.
My heart swells with the blood of youth,
And my chest echoes with the winds of change.
I listened; I heard the rumbling of the thunder,
The melodies of storms and the sound of rain.
The earth replied to my queries asking:
“O Mother, do you hate humanity?”
I bless those among men who have ambition,
And delight in riding the waves of peril.
I condemn those who do not keep pace with time,
And resign themselves to a life like stone.
The universe is alive, it loves life,
And scorns the dead, no matter how grand.
Neither the horizon embraces the dead of birds,
Nor do the bees kiss the dead of flowers.
If not for the maternal heart of mine,
The dead would not find comfort in those graves.
Woe to him who has not been touched by life,
For he has been cursed by the victorious void!
On a night of autumn, so heavy with sorrow,
I became intoxicated by the light of the stars,
And sang for sadness until I grew dizzy.
I inquired of darkness: “Will life return,
When you shadow the blossoming spring of youth?
But the lips of the dark did not speak,
Nor did the maidens of dawn sing sweet melodies.
The wilderness replied softly, like the gentle strum of a lute:
“Winter comes, a winter of fog,
A winter of snow, a winter of rain.
Then the spell shall fade, the magic of the branches,
And the allure of flowers and fruits shall vanish.
And there shall disappear the enchanting skies,
And the sweetness of fragrant meadows.
And the branches will sway beneath the weight of leaves,
And the flowers of a beloved era shall wither.
The winds will carry them to every valley,
And the floods shall bury them, no matter how they flow.
And all shall expire like a wondrous dream,
Glistening in spirits and thus fade away.
Yet the seeds that were sown shall remain,
Merely resources of a beautiful life long past.
Imagining seasons and dreams of life,
While shadows of a vanishing world embrace beneath.
And beneath the snow and the dust,
For the spirit of life that never gets weary.
And the heart of spring, fragrant, verdant,
And dreaming of the songs of birds.
And the fragrance of flowers and the taste of fruits.
Time marches on, new events unfold,
While others wither, and new ones are born.
Their dreams shall awaken into a conscious state,
Graced by the mystery of dawn.
They shall ask: “Where is the fog of the morning,
And the magic of the evening? Where is the moonlight?
Where are the flocks of those elegant butterflies?
And the bees that sing and the clouds that fly?
And where are the rays and the beings?
And where is the life I long for?
I am thirsty for light above the boughs!
I am thirsty for shade beneath the trees!
I am thirsty for the springs among the meadows,
Singing, dancing above the flowers!
I am thirsty for the melodies of the birds,
And for the whisper of the breeze, and the tune of rain!
I am thirsty for the universe! Where is existence,
And how shall I behold the awaited world?
The universe, behind the slumber of inertia,
And in the horizon of greater awakenings.
It is nothing but the gentle beating of my heart,
Until its longing burgeoned and triumphed.
Thus, the earth trembled beneath it,
And I gazed upon the universe, where beauty resided.
Spring came with its melodies,
And the dreams of youth reeked of fragrance.
And kissed it tenderly upon the lips,
Returning youth that had once faded.
She exclaimed: “You have granted life,
And eternally in your descendants is preserved!
And light has blessed you, so receive
The vitality of life and the richness of existence.
He who worships light—his dreams,
The light bestows blessings upon wherever they emerge.
To you, O expanse, to you, O luminescence,
To you, O fruitful earth, forever flourishing!
To you, O beauty that never fades,
To you, O vibrant existence!
So soar—however you desire—above the fields,
With sweet fruits and fresh blossoms.
And converse with the breeze, and converse with the clouds,
And converse with the stars, and converse with the moon!
And converse with life and its desires,
And the charm of this astonishing existence!
And the twilight speaks of deep beauty,
Igniting the imagination and igniting thoughts.
And stretch across the universe with an extraordinary magic,
Conducted by a skilled wizard.
The candles of the luminaries illuminate brightly,
And the incense of flowers spreads its fragrance.
And a spirit of exquisite beauty flutters,
With wings spun from the light of the moon.
The anthem of life arises, sacred and pure,
Within a tangible dream trapped in grace.
And it declares to the universe: “Ambition,
Is the flame of life and the spirit of victory!
If souls aspire to life,
Then surely destiny must respond.”
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