Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Letters in Poems: Nizar Qabbani (II)

We discussed Nizar Qabbani in a previous entry, presenting two of his poems dealing with words and their power. As we had said in that entry, the main theme of most of his poems is love and woman. He said, ‘‘They ask me: why do you write about the woman? And I answer with the utmost innocence and simplicity: And why do I not write about her?’’(Nizār Qabbānī, Qiṣṣati maal-Shir, p.166).

The poem below is entitled "A Brief Love Letter", and as you will see, even though brief, it is sensual and engaging.

رسالة حب صغيرة

حبيبتي ، لدي شيءٌ كثير..أقوله ، لدي شيءٌ كثير ..
من أين ؟ يا غاليتي أبتديو كل ما فيك.. أميرٌ.. أمير
يا أنت يا جاعلةً أحرفيمما بها شرانقاً للحرير
هذي أغاني و هذا أنايضمنا هذا الكتاب الصغير
غداً .. إذا قلبت أوراقهو اشتاق مصباحٌ و غنى سرير..
واخضوضرت من شوقها، أحرفٌو أوشكت فواصلٌ أن تطير
فلا تقولي : يا لهذا الفتىأخبر عني المنحنى و الغدير
و اللوز .. و التوليب حتى أناتسير بي الدنيا إذا ما أسير
و قال ما قال فلا نجمةٌإلا عليها من عبيري عبير
غداً .. يراني الناس في شعرهفماً نبيذياً، و شعراً قصير
دعي حكايا الناس.. لن تصبحيكبيرةً .. إلا بحبي الكبير
ماذا تصير الأرض لو لم نكنلو لم تكن عيناك... ماذا تصير ؟
A Brief Love Letter

My darling, I have much to say
Where o precious one shall I begin ?
All that is in you is princely
O you who makes of my words through their meaning
Cocoons of silk
These are my songs and this is me
This short book contains us
Tomorrow when I return its pages
A lamp will lament
A bed will sing
Its letters from longing will turn green
Its commas be on the verge of flight
Do not say: why did this youth
Speak of me to the winding road and the stream
The almond tree and the tulip
So that the world escorts me wherever I go ?
Why did he sing these songs ?
Now there is no star
That is not perfumed with my fragrance
Tomorrow people will see me in his verse
A mouth the taste of wine, close-cropped hair
Ignore what people say
You will be great only through my great love
What would the world have been if we had not been
If your eyes had not been, what would the world have been?



2 comments:

  1. I wish your students also go through your posts because there is so much of historical and literary info here…

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! I do hope readers enjoy the contents :)

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