The Spring of Life
- As stated by Muhammad bin Ali Al-Sanusi:
O Spring of Life, where is my spring?
Where are the dreams of my awakeness and my slumber?
Where, O abode of youth, are the hopes
Of my adolescence and the wishes that grow?
Where, O poet of nature, is the melody
Crafted by a heart full of lofty love?
My feelings and aspirations echoed it,
And with it fluttered the chambers of my ribs.
O Spring of Life, what has happened to my existence?
Its color is uniform, lacking diversity?!
There is neither winter nor spring (…), only summer,
Burning in its dreadful heat!
O Spring of Life, can you not be gentle
To a garden devoid of a spring?
The summer’s rays have scorched it,
Stripping it of its flowers and branches.
And toxins have pelted it from every corner
With hurricanes in both daylight and twilight.
It gazes upon life with an eye
That defies sorrow without shedding tears.
Its roots are steadfast, born of noble lineage,
Fighting death without submitting.
O Spring of Life, can you not be tender
To a melody lacking a signature?
Artistic wings carried it to you,
Only to drop it near unhearing ears.
It found no blooming garden to inscribe a tune
From its songs in a splendid voice.
Time has been miserly with fingers and strings,
And the lute, by goodness, it has become rare.
And yet its echoes still resonate
Filling the world’s ears with a gentle tune.
O Spring of Life, can you not be gentle
To a nightingale that falls swiftly?
It thought that (love) was love in its traps
And fell towards it with the heart of a child.
It crashed but continued pouring forth the melody,
A torrent of pure natural clarity.
Once its wings soared to the sky,
It plummeted in its fetters like a slain one.
Yet it remained singing, enamored with beauty
Singing like the free and the carefree.
O Spring of Life, can you not be gentle
To an idea without legislation?
Life has overlooked it while fortune has varied
In its journey and its returns.
It lay still in the darkness, enwrapped in silence,
And shone in its heart like a candle.
It found no scholar to articulate its essence
And choose it for the good of all.
In its silence, it gestures and gazes
With its radiance towards the brilliant genius.
The Secret of Life’s Victory
- As expressed by Sayyid Qutb:
Show yourself with your enchanting appearance
And greet me with your poetic gaze.
Pour upon the universe an abundance of joy
And nourish it with your overflowing strength.
What are you, and what is stillness?
You are but the tempestuous forces.
The forces of love throb amidst desolation,
Transforming barren lands into lush vistas.
It breathes life into the stillness within hearts,
Making their inhabitants restless.
And it sings to the deaf with melodies
They yield to the enchanting tune.
Are you not the one who vibrated “with existence”
And tore through the mocking forces of “nothingness”?
Indeed! You are the essence of life’s triumph
Over death in the victorious battleground.
There, long before her birth,
She was lost and in doubt!
And you were the dormant seed
Which blossomed into vibrant life!
When I See You, Life Becomes Sweet
- As noted by Abu Qasim Al-Shabi:
When I see you, life becomes delightful for me,
And my soul is filled with the morning of hope.
Roses blossom within me, sweet and tender,
Caressing my burning heart.
And I am enchanted by the bounty of life in you,
And that youthful charm that is intoxicating.
Your lips possess a magic that enthralls me,
Surrounded by kisses fluttering about.
In you, I worship the beauty of the sky,
And the softness of the spring’s bloom.
The purity of snow and the magic of meadows,
Adorned with the ray of a child.
When I see you, I am reborn anew,
As if I had never battled existence.
And had not borne its weight, heavy and foolish,
From the memories that do not fade.
And the dreams of my past days,
Wherein both the wretched and the joyous dwell.
Radiance engulfs my spirit, a companion,
Crowned with the beauty of flowers.
And the creation around me fills my ears
With the softest songs and sweet hymns.
Hope dances around me, joyful,
And the joys of a blissful life.
As if I have transcended above humanity,
And I tremble like a vibrating string.
My heart’s songs walk drunkenly,
Chirping beneath the shadows of the moon.
I long for my soul to embrace existence,
With all its beings and trees,
And the night that flees, and the dawn that returns,
And cloud cover that embellishes the cloak of magic.
Finding Your Good Fortune in Life
- According to Kahlil Gibran:
Finding your fortune in life is beautiful.
So delight in it, and let it bring happiness.
And let there be an abundance of blessings in what you desire,
For you both have numerous delights yet few.
Living together lightens the burden,
While solitude remains heavy.
Indeed, in youth, love is mutual,
A husband and wife meeting in bliss.
A couple blessed and thriving together,
May the garland of joy accompany them.
This bride has been granted by her Lord
A privilege, for she completes him.
Like rays in the distance of their stars,
She has a way to every heart.
To speak of the dream adorned with
What is reasonable and what is transmitted.
That which she received from a father who is a scholar,
Knowledge worthy of respect.
As for the beautiful, it is what you aspire to reach,
A noble, self-made essence.
In glory, countless have preceded him,
And in the morning, as honored as they.
He shuns the trivial desires, delicately,
Or seeks distinguished dreams.
O my son, live and enjoy the blessings,
An age connected through satisfaction.
Honor is abundant, and life is long,
And those of noble lineage are thriving.
Life is What Souls Flourish With
- As articulated by Al-Waaw Al-Rimashqi:
Life is what nourishes the souls,
It permits death whenever it wishes and revives it.
If it spoke to a dead soul, it could awaken it,
And it would rise from its grave, yearning to respond.
I have opposed for its sake my spirit and have known
My spirit understands I oppose those who oppose it.
And I do not weep with my tears when distance separates me,
But rather with my spirit when I mourn it.
For God, the man of my eyes, when he became attached to it,
Was my servant as I became a servant to my love for it.
I was overwhelmed with blame while immersed in love,
Becoming infatuated with my flaws from its qualities.
This is because my suffering has turned sweet to me
In it, and my life flows from its hands.
O God, how could you make my heart endure?
I called for death, fearing its call.
By your right, O my love, inspire me with your distance,
If I wish to escape from you, do not allow me!
Travel, O pain upon my limbs,
As you turn into waste from excess illness.
Take from my soul whatever you desire for connection,
And do not leave me, if you will, the rest of me.
And you judge based on what your desires are, O my beloved,
I accept whatever you wish, if you please her.
Hearts of longing reside within me,
Since longing has dwelled for me in the abode of my love.
Now I have worn the robes of distress for you,
For I have been afflicted with illness before I can discard it.
And truly, I won’t remain – as long as I exist –
My eyes see you – justified by tears!
And I do not complain to her about what I have found in her,
And lament claims shared between me and her.