The Most Beautiful Poems of Al-Mutanabbi
Among the most beautiful poems by Al-Mutanabbi are the following:
Poem: The Secrets of the Soul’s Affection
Here are some of the most poignant verses from the poem “The Secrets of the Soul’s Affection”:
The exalted honor does not remain unscathed
Until blood is shed along its margins.
The petty among the vile harm inherently
Those whose worth diminishes, similar to the wretched.
Injustice characterizes souls, should you find
A spirit of purity, for a reason it does not oppress.
The path of the son of Kayghalagh is guarded
By the mightiest route lying beneath her feet.
Establish alliances on the edges of the sword,
For fate rests within her grasp.
Be gentle with yourself, for your nature is flawed,
And conceal your origins, for they are dark.
Your wealth is a query, and your recklessness a puff,
And your satisfaction is frail, while your Lord is a mere dirham.
Beware of antagonizing men, for surely
They will possess you like a mere servant and advance.
Poem: For Every Person from His Era What He is Used To
Below are striking lines from the poem “For Every Person from His Era What He is Used To”:
If you honor the noble, you will possess him,
But if you honor the lowly, he will become rampant.
Placing generosity in the grasp of the sword of highness
Is detrimental, just as is placing a sword in the grip of generosity.
Yet you surpass others in opinion and wisdom,
As you have outshone them in essence and separates.
Your actions echo upon thoughts,
What remains concealed is abandoned, what is revealed is embraced.
Remove the envy of the envious from me,
For you are the one who transformed them into adversaries.
As I tightened my resolve, your commendation shone in their eyes,
I struck with a sword that beheads unnoticed.
And I am but a gem you have adorned,
Rendering it appealing and evoking admiration.
Time is merely a narrator of my adornments,
Whenever I utter poetry, time becomes a bard.
Poem: May it be that the White is My Bodily Adornment
These are some remarkable lines from the poem “May it be that the White is My Bodily Adornment”:
The most cherished place in the world is the saddle of a steed,
The finest companion in time is a book.
A sea whose fragrance is dense,
It surpasses every wave and billow.
Its worth exceeds that which is praised,
To the point that it becomes admired.
Its adversaries bravely contend with it,
As the swords’ edges clash with necks.
The majority witnesses the noble with humility,
If you do not guard it but with iron threads.
Poem: How Many Were Slain as I Slain a Martyr
Here are striking verses from the poem “How Many Were Slain as I Slain a Martyr”:
Live with dignity or die while noble,
Amidst the thrust of the spears and the beat of the drums.
The tips of the lances are annihilating to the coward,
And bring relief to the fierce heart of the resentful.
Not as you lived like a dishonorable wretch;
If you die, you die without being wronged.
Seek honor in the blaze and forsake degradation,
Even if found in the gardens of eternity.
The cowardly are slain, while the brave may escape
From the grasp of those awaiting birth.
And the bold shall find refuge in the face of dire conflicts.
Poem: Why Strain for an Attachment Without Family or Homeland
Here are beautiful lines from the poem “Why Strain for an Attachment Without Family or Homeland”:
Not everything desired by a person is achieved,
The winds blow where the ships do not wish.
I saw that your neighbor does not shelter honor,
Nor does it bear milk upon your pasture.
The reward for every close one among you is boredom,
And the fortune of every lover among you is betrayal.
And you grow angry at whoever has drawn your assistance,
Until he is punished by annoyance and those that break him.
Then separation leaves behind what lies between you,
A desert where neither the eye nor ear lie.
It stumbles upon marking after drawing upon her,
And it asks the earth about its shuffling of its paths.
I am accompanied by my dream, and it is generous with me,
Yet I am not accompanied by my caution, as it is cowardly.
Poem: Where Have You Decided, O Esteemed One
From the beautiful verses of the poem “Where Have You Decided, O Esteemed One,” the following are notable:
When souls are great,
The bodies struggle in pursuit of their desires.
And likewise, the full moons appear before us,
And likewise quake the vast oceans.
We have a customary grace from patience,
Should we not desire anything other than your company.
All life is naught unless you invest it with pleasure,
Every sun is blurred if not divine light.
Clear away the loneliness that exists among us,
For with you, the exquisite finds companionship.
And he who witnesses the battle remains still at heart,
As if the combat serves as its very essence.
He who strikes the battalions until
The fierce meet their downfall.
And when my time has come at a place,
Let it be cherished by the time itself.
And he to whom the lands bloom joy,
And he whom the clouds rain sweetness.
Every time it is claimed that it has reached its end, we are shown
Generosity that the noble have not yet encountered.
Poem: O Heart, How You Suffer
Here are unforgettable verses from the poem “O Heart, How You Suffer”:
The horses, the night, and the desolation know me,
The sword, the spear, the paper, and the pen.
Alone, I wander in the wilds,
Even the caves and hills marvel at me.
O how it pains us to part from you,
Our very essence is diminished without you.
How we would have cherished our connection,
If only your matter were among our affairs.
Is your secret what our enemies declare?
Then what is a wound if it pleases you?
Between us, had you honored that with understanding,
Indeed, knowledge is a shared duty among the wise.
How often do you seek faults in us, yet fail?
And God abhors what you bring, even amid generosity.
So far from blemish or deficiency is my honor,
I am the Pleiades, while time does age us together.
I wish the storms that accompany me could shift,
To guide them towards one who holds abundance.
I see separation demanding me at every stage,
Whereby betrayal surfaces like a concealed line.
Poem: If You Dare for a Noble Honor
Among the most beautiful verses from the poem “If You Dare for a Noble Honor”:
If you seek noble recognition,
Do not settle for anything less than the stars.
The taste of death in a trivial matter
Is akin to the taste of death in a significant one.
My steed shall weep for its sorrow,
The streams of its tears nourish the body.
They drew near the flames before they matured,
Just as maidens flourish in bliss.
And they departed from their makers unscathed,
Their hands are burdened with numerous wounds.
The coward believes that weakness is wisdom,
And therein lies the deception of vile nature.
And every act of bravery within a man empowers,
There is no measure of valor in the wise.
How many have criticized sound utterances,
While their pitfalls stem from flawed comprehension.
Poem: To You, O Homesteads in Hearts
Noteworthy lines from the poem “To You, O Homesteads in Hearts”:
When your censure comes to me from the deficient,
It stands as testimony that I am whole.
Who possesses an understanding of an era
That falsely deems Northern descent to be trivial?
And as your truth, which is the utmost oath,
You embody the truth while the rest are mere falsehoods.
You are grace when grace graces you,
And you are pureness when the purifying hands cleanse you.
What dwells in the mouth from the tongue, and is transformed,
Is adorned by the finest of creativity.
Poem: Spare Me from the Watcher, For Their Conscience Betrayed
Here are memorable lines from the poem “Spare Me from the Watcher, For Their Conscience Betrayed”:
Exempt the watcher, for their conscience failed them,
And the tears overflowed, they surged forth fervently.
And the hidden love on the day of farewell is unveiled,
Even the keeper of tears cannot conceal their secrets.
Were it not for the gazelles of Adi, I would not have become enchanted with them,
Nor would I have paid heed to them had their provisions failed.
From every handsome one with fangs, there emerges opulence,
As he hides like masked wine laced with musk.
Pure as the fat-tailed ewes in their tender abundance,
With coal black eyes that add enchantment to their hadrons.
Deep is his beckoning; it has grieved me,
How heavy a burden of love he has weighed upon me.
O you who have controlled my soul and tormented me,
And my heart with your offerings has been woven.
By returning the pristine reign anew,
I have lost sight of you, and the night has become wakeful.
After a night when there was no dawn,
As if the first day of resurrection is its final end.