Daughter of Egypt
-1-
Had I not visited Egypt,
I would not have been able to understand your beauty.
The Nile... your eyes,
And its banks... your lips,
And the palm trees... your hair,
And the pyramids...
The height of chastity upon your breast.
As for the pearls of your smile,
I found them dancing proudly
On the lips of the Egyptians.
Ah...
How beautiful you are, Daughter of Egypt!
-2-
Mount Muqattam bowed in reverence to your presence,
Its historic citadel lit its candles
above its towering walls,
in celebration of your arrival.
Its prison, filled with painful memories,
when your hands touched its cold stones,
disavowed the tyrannical rulers
throughout the ages.
You were the warmth it had never known.
You were the tenderness it lacked,
amidst the screams of prisoners
and the roars of executioners.
You were mercy
in a time when mercy was lost.
-3-
O daughter of Egypt...
A title I bestowed upon you to increase your pride,
and grant you the beauty of Cleopatra
and the love of Antony.
Ah, how wonderful Cairo is!
When she gave you safety,
When she embraced you,
And kissed your pure brow.
Only there did I feel my reward,
And that I had chosen the most beautiful woman on earth
To hear her say every morning:
I love you... Yes, I love you.
**
I love you
I love you with the most sublime love
For love is always spontaneous
My sweet one, this is me
I live by verses of love poetry
Poetry is my goal
And my goal is to steal kisses
I gave you my loyal heart
You gave me tears from your eyes
What does it matter to me!
If I asked: Do you love me? Say: Yes
My heart, my sweet one
With love, it does not accept failure
**
Yes, I love her
I love her... Yes, yes, I love her.
For my dwelling, my resting place, is in her heart.
Beautiful as a rose, like a jasmine blossom.
And the secret is that her flaws are hidden.
If she is far away, if she becomes like a cloud,
Like a spring, I am captive, watering her path.
I kissed her until she was quenched, my beloved.
I hid a thousand kisses in her bosom.
The nights without her are endless.
The sweetest nights I lived were in her presence.
No, my sweet one, you will not fear,
For our love is blessed, sacred by her Lord.
**
My star
If my heart were a lover
I would find it crumbling
Before her, but it
May bow down proudly
This girl is my star
For her sake, the light was
She pierced my chest with her spear
And did not ask about my pain
And the spear is a deadly glance
And the lips hold the cure
From her saliva comes healing
I will drink slowly.
**
My love
I see, my love, the colour of blood
From a kiss, in which I was forced
I loved kissing red lips, will
I extinguish a flame you yourself kindled?
When your eyes met mine, I didn't turn away
You sent sighs, but they were vague
Then you drew near, your lips longing for a kiss
When green eyes became enamoured
Will I ever end this feverish night
In which I tamed your breast, I set your mouth ablaze?
Above the dark breasts, I hung my ego
And I plucked your face like a rose to paint
And the sigh became a feverish ember
Whatever happens, my sweet, I will not regret it
No, I do not fear the fire that sears my ribs
It is shameful for the lover to surrender
I planted a thousand kisses on your breast
Who can imitate or count the stars?
How many fruits ripened in our night
How many tears did the forbidden hide
I ate all the fruits in paradise
If you are Eve, then return me to Adam
A woman with captivating beauty on her cheeks
And she wants me to withdraw or show mercy
If I were not skilled in my game
You would not rejoice in me or light up my smile
I am always, my sweet, on alert
Knock on my door, and attain the greatest.
**
Widow
Have mercy, do not be harsh and cruel, my master.
I loved him, and love is not in one's hands.
He who gave life to his child has died,
And you are the child, and you are my eternal son.
I nursed you with tender love so you might see
That love is like fragrance or like tomorrow.
Do not, do not speak ill of him.
Do not, do not say: "Mother, keep him away from you."
I loved his graceful stature.
I loved his intellect, O my soul, bear witness.
I told him all the stories about you,
From the time of manhood and the verdant bloom of birth.
I told him of your most precious love.
If I were given a choice, I would choose suffering, O my master.
Have mercy on him, my son, do not forsake my joy,
For gray has crept into the hair of a mother with curly hair.
He is my second love and the solace of my loneliness.
I wasted my life in black dress.
**
Hide me
Hide me beneath your shawl
And make me one of your children
My only dream, my life
I am bound by your ropes
You are always above my head
Settle me in your mountains
So that I may taste sustenance one day
Satiate me with your bounty
How many lovers have become mere numbers
Because they are but shadows of your shadows
Believe me, you will not find
A love like mine among your men
Draw me near you openly
Seat me on your left
Do not say my life is wasted
You are a sun in your beauty
**
Antara
I gaze so that your eyes may see
What has befallen me.
For my eyebrows have spread out
Above my eyes like a ruler.
I will not blame you once;
Who would blame the dark-skinned one?
From an enamoured glance that erases
And obliterates lines.
Read my eyes, do not fear;
I have hidden within them the massacre.
I have hidden within them a tear,
Despite the sorrow, a tear that has been concealed.
I have never betrayed our affection;
No, I have not betrayed, Antara.
I love you, my master,
And in love there is forgiveness.
**
Your lips
Your lips? Or a doubt of beads?
I see a kind of cherry
An oven I lit with my own hands
My cake is ready, by God, bake it!
How many kisses I entrusted to a lip
Seize some of those kisses!
These are clusters on our vine
Be gentle with the cluster, turn it to wine.
My love is like hoarded wealth
Amass it from the riches of the enamoured!
This is me, my shackles are gold
I surrendered the shackles to you, so hold them!
**
Kiss me
Kiss me and hold me
I am not content with my years
The most trivial days have passed
When my longing exhausted me
Come closer, come
So that you may pass through my certainty
Sweet the world with hair
My brow has longed for it so much
Then give me, my life
A kiss that erases my moaning
Whenever I bring my lips near
Kiss me... Kiss me
**
Let me dance
Let me dance... to wipe away my tears
The candles have melted... be my candle
Oh, my life, embrace my tender waist
I fear not if my speed increases
Gaze at my face, become joy
That steals away sighs, heals my longing
If you find my dancing good
Know that I am keeping pace with my time
Play me music... play my melody
Drive me mad, tear my headphones off
The most beautiful fire is the fire I desired
Whose glow favoured my lighter
I would have kissed the red lips
If only I hadn't feared words that would harm my reputation
Your sweet saliva has become a blessing
My thirsty mouth, increase my drink
Oh, my destiny, you were in the night of my wishes
My luck has come today... my lot has won
**
Rewa
I asked her name, she said: "Rewa"
Secretly, the first signs of love enveloped me
All the fruits fell upon her cheeks
What fault would there be if the peach
Were not perfectly formed upon her cheek?
I sensed in her a desire for an embrace
But the bamboo stalk did not bend
I drew her near to me so that we might remain together
For the fault, the whole fault, is for love to depart
For her stature is like the poplar in its height
Or like wheat untouched by the breeze
If her beautiful face shone, so rejoice!
Her teeth are like perfectly aligned pearls.
I kissed her to quench my thirst with her saliva,
But my lips, despite my longing, were not satisfied.
I kissed her, and my heart told my story,
And life, like an illusion, faded with abandonment.
No, I do not fear a fleeting love,
I fear "Rewa" may casts a lover into separation.
**
My beloved
My dark-skinned beloved, my song
Will she fulfil the dream of my longing?
I desire to kiss your cheeks as
I desire her to sing in my evening
For her words are astonishing, and I
yearn for the songbird of my valleys
My beloved, my sun and my sails
Woe to me if you do not come to my cellars
For the black darkness will veil me
And the light may forsake my gatherings
O sweetest of the sweet, you are here
A dream revealed according to My prayers
What is life if you don't become a radiance
Reviving my channels like rain
**
Enslaved
Love is my master,
But I am enslaved.
My heart sings her name,
Not intoxicated, but rebellious.
I loved her, but she,
Sweet of love, rejects me.
My eyes betray her love;
Tell me, to whom shall I turn for help?
If she knew the secrets,
Would she worship our love?
For love, since the beginning of love,
Is the twin of God; bear witness.
Whatever happens, my sweet,
You are my one and only love.
**
Abla
Abla, Abla, my most beautiful love
My highest, strongest, most perfect love
Yesterday I adored her purity
And today I see her as my best tomorrow
She is the mistress of enduring love
She made me forget what first love was
She left me to kiss her forehead
And my blood groaned like a cauldron
I plunged, I plunged into her eyes
And the tears gathered what had wet
My heart begged that I amuse myself,
while reason calls to me: Be reasonable!
I might ignite my anger with a woman,
and I fear to do so because of Abla.
Magic adorns her eyelids,
and I am defeated or defenceless.
I endure the sleeplessness of lovers,
and suffer from a night longer than mine.
Not even the moon can rival her beauty,
and the sun, I assure you, would be ashamed.
An Arab woman of bygone glories,
And the past is dawn. The Future
In the name, you see a wondrous melody
Played by letters unpolished
The letter Ḍād crafted it with its splendour
To be unique... or divinely inspired
Forgive me... no name pleases me
Except the most refined and perfect name
A word beautifies it
And the word echoes what it beautifies
A bird may leave its nest
But my birds will not leave
For the body sustains me Wheat
And the feathers of my wings are plucked
I lit my candles in honour
Of the breast, and the swaying figure
Her lips are a temple of goddesses
And my mouth bows down if it kisses
Her saliva is like casks of wine
And I long to be intoxicated
Jasmine colours her smile
And roses work on her cheeks
Her neck shines with its ingots
And her hair weaves like a spindle
Its threads are cut from Night
No night is like the night of hair
And the skin is a textile factory
The most precious of which are taffeta and velvet
And I am a watchman who never sleeps
To guard the factory's production
**
Peace be upon her
If I say: Her eyes are the extension of my heart,
You cry out: Hold on, from the excess of my desires!
And if I say: A butterfly alighted upon my lips,
You laugh, and the waves shake the course of my ships.
She is life itself; there is no life without her passing.
She is the fragrance, if the winds of my playgrounds blow.
I endured rejection whose chapters are countless,
And I concealed a sorrow that my bags could not contain.
Dark-skinned and enchanting, beautiful like madness,
She walks gently upon... The sands of my troubles
Her hands are verdant, and spring is her friend
And upon the slope of her breast, I crafted my desires
Peace be upon her the day she slept in my arms
And the day she lay down, seeking to sip my sweetness
Peace be upon her, how her suns shone
And how they withdrew when my processions departed
I wanted to capture the dawn upon her cheeks
And from the brevity of time, my hands faltered
Hearts were purified when she passed Her image
And the fire of my strangeness sank into the sparkle of her lips
The echo replays the melody of my surrender to her embrace
And from her words came all my gains
I lost my senses, my reason, in my pursuit of her
So, the horses of my experiences did not run as usual
My love for her is unblemished
How strange is my love, how it conceals my flaws
The tongue of my enemies did not respect my longing,
Nor did it fear my moans or the hiss of my misfortunes
If the universe turns against me, I opened schools
And I learned in a universe unlit by my stars
Love... cannot live without wonder
And when the heart ignites, my wonders are revealed
**
Seventy Years
If seventy calls me soon
I will end my bitter, gloomy life
I have grown old, my cane is long
And my steps have become a cross from my weight
My tongue has tasted nothing but medicine
A male doctor bends, a female doctor comes
It is a shame that my years should be my enemy
It is a shame that my hair should see gray
I wrote poetry until it drove me mad
Eyes I thought were like me, poets
They turned their backs on love deliberately
And the heart yearned for the beloved
I live my life weary of my state
A stranger who lived in a strange world
**
Oh, miss
Were it not for those sleepy eyes,
I wouldn't have noticed, miss,
That I am fully conscious,
And the sun sits near me.
Are you from the vastness of space,
Or did the land create you?
A beautiful face, yet
Always frowning before me.
My heart is sick with love;
Be its guardian.
Become my student,
And let your chest be the schoolyard.
I will satisfy you with a warm embrace,
In which I will weave my garment.
I will satisfy you with a wild colt,
So that I may be the rider.
**
If you have mercy on me
If you have mercy on me, gaze
at the onlookers and applaud
For love... singing dreamily
above the blue ocean
This is me, the full moon of the night
So that you may touch me, soar
I want you to be a smile
To which my east yearns
I want you to be a star
Shine forth in times of hardship
Have you not seen the gray of sorrow
Coming like a foolish guest
For God's sake, give me a kiss
To erase the white of my parting
In my exile I have lived in anguish
The time has come for us to meet
**
A thousand times no!
Do you know that
I showed all my artistry
So that you might admire a poet
Not the great and the rich?
This is me, my sweet,
Scented like lilies
With poetry I adorned the horizon
I tamed all tongues
My heart loves a star
To her alone I will bow
You are all of life
You are the beginning of time
If you say: No... or a thousand times no
I will not waver from our love
**
Are you a full moon?
Are you a full moon that shone in my garden,
Or a rose that adorns the cheeks?
A breath of a bosom I mistook for a mountain,
And all pearls are found in the stems.
Whatever happens, be our hope,
For all love is found in faith.
I fear that if I shower you with kisses,
Embraces will fall upon embraces.
**
You are my beloved
Under the moonlit sky
Something beautiful has happened
I loved a radiant face
I likened it to a jewel
I likened it to a rose
Like a fragrant rose
I loved a woman whose name
Is not included in my memory
No letters embrace it
No ruler can measure it
No poet can craft it
No one has ever walked this earth
Oriental in its form
Pride shines within it
You are my beloved, my sweet
Is there love like mine?
**
A Race
After the basil's fragrance,
You became more delicate than light.
Your eyes became stars,
And your lips were coloured by twilight.
And the fragrance from you, my love,
Has permeated every nostril.
But your heart is cold,
Without pulse or sparkle.
You walk beside me like a rock,
Is my heart made of paper?
And I, poor in love,
A fire of insomnia consumes me.
No, I will not accept defeat.
I will win this race.
**
You are mine
Don't be angry, or upset
At the kiss of the hasty one
By God, it was a kiss
Like the taste of quince
Swift as a wink
As if it were my future
I am kissing a flower
Sweeter than a carnation
Its branches, its leaves
Have the beauty of velvet
I fear for her, my sweet one
From the recklessness of a careless mouth
If it wreaks havoc on her one night
With teeth like a sickle
You might wither like it
What profit would I have if you withered?
One kiss from you is enough for me
From whose impact you did not blush
I will spend my life in love
And you are mine... You are mine
**
Treacherous
If my heart were in my hand,
I would throw it into the hearth
So that the era of love might end,
The era of black hell
I loved her like dew,
And saw her like the brightest star
But she is treacherous,
She stabbed my only love
She stole the feelings of my desires,
So, I cried out like one seeking help:
By God, I am weary,
Stop the harm and vanish!
Her treachery has ruined my eyes,
And she has fallen asleep in my heart
And my heart cries out loudly:
Come, possess and enslave!
**
Courage
I no longer possess courage
My soul, I have tasted anguish
You were like a bird to me
I always longed to hear your song
I always yearned for a warm embrace
I only grew wider
After rejection and longing
Our poor love was lost
Like a dream or a mirage
Our meeting was a farewell
**
My Moon
-1-
I gifted her my melody
And love in words
I pictured her as a moon
I kissed it with my lips
And said: O my moon
I beg you, smile
-2-
Our days are weariness
Their hours are wonder
If you sleep in my tent
The reed will play
And if you invade my mouth
Gold will envelop you
-3-
Be like the ships
Their sail is a homeland
They dive into my body
So that the body may be intoxicated
Cities do not matter to them
My palm is the city
-4-
I say: My lady
Live in my kingdom
Its birds are a string
And you are my song
So, shine My dwelling
O sun of my hope
**
O heart,
O heart, love has worn me down,
For love's beginning is sickness.
He walks silently beside me,
And my ear yearns for words.
This is my beloved... Alas!
He has the right to greet me.
I give him my fleeting moments of joy,
He departs... As if in a dream.
The beating of my heart is a cry,
With which I fear the reproach of the sleeping.
My beautiful face is a dove,
And his hands are flocks of doves.
Why is he so unconcerned,
While love has shattered even the rock?
My love has concealed its flaws;
Who says my beloved is to be blamed?
For he has the hoped-for station,
And without him, where is the station?
**
Messages
The messages no longer arrive
With a straight font
How can I read them with letters
Almost legible and fleeting?
I thought my computer was honourable
That it wouldn't bring anything bad...
And the precious emails
Their purpose was to cultivate virtue
Perhaps luck is against me
Or have substitutes stolen my love?
I was never unhappy
I was among the first
So why has my love become
An obstacle without any other obstacle?!
And why does my writing
Shatter like liquids?!
You didn't betray me... no, by God!
It was the means that betrayed me.
She was the voice, and we were
above the dreams of tribes.
She never said "my love,"
but the heart spoke.
So that the word might return as a sun,
She made all matters easy.
**
Answer me
Answer me if I call: Come
For the rose always responds to my state
The fire surrounds you... and love is my battle
And I entered the fire like a hero
I fought burdens upon burdens
And victory does not come without struggle
I broke all the chains with deeds
Except in my heart, my shackles remain
You are the princess... the adornment of generations
And I am the beloved, revel in my beauty
You are perfection if you encompass my perfection
And you are the wind if you paint my demise
I loved in you your successive spring
How could I turn away my shade from the gardens?
I fear for you because of my burdens,
For love is to me the epitome of virtue.
Love is my kingdom, and your kindness my wealth.
Extend your hands and fulfil my hopes.
This is me, a youth and a man,
Chaste, adorned with virtues.
Say: I love you, change my circumstances.
Thirsty, after silence, is my question.
Shine like a sun weary from nights,
The time has come for it to meet my crescent moon.
**
I do love you
When I met you, the stars grew jealous
And the clouds scattered around you
And the peaks, in their sorrow, wondered
Have the books ever truly described you?
O sweet-eyed one, you are here
Like a pure ingot, gold has fashioned you
You are the queen, your throne is a pen
And your abode is honour and rank
I gifted you beautiful poetry, as
Literature gifted you the roses of its letters
The lips were stained by their anemones
And the cheek lost its colour like grapes
And the wind asks about my beloved
Does she turn away? Is her stature like a reed?
The nightingale of our love sang you a melody
That drove the strings and the joy mad
Even the meadows turned to moonlight
The flowers knew not why
I love you... I said it joyfully
I love you, where is the blasphemy and the wonder?
**
You are the Beloved
You are the most beautiful Beloved
And I am captivated by your beauty
Proud... yet I kneel before your throne
From the abundance of your radiance, tell me:
What can I do with the sun?
She may retreat to her tower,
Sorrowful and writhing in anguish.
I desire you, my master,
Like a fragrant scent,
For love has wounded my heart,
And my vision is shattered.
I awaken... And within me is a longing,
To hear the voice of loved ones.
But your voice is drowned
In its silence... It offers no solace.
I loved in you a masculinity
I never imagined it would be so coquettish.
You have wearied me
And given me only rejection,
And my heart aches.
You are the beginning of love,
And the end, and the return.
Take me to the embrace of bliss
Who has the right to enjoy it?
I come to you like a beautiful dream
What is the secret... why do you not yearn?
A rose sang of my beauty
Do you want me to plead?
Tell your eyes that I
refuse their gaze
No, love hasn't died within me
But I abstain
Speak to me words of joy
Something beautiful and beneficial
I beg you, speak them convincingly
The best speech is that which is convincing
You gifted me the star of temptation
Why... does it not shine?
If you say: My night is dark
The dawn always rises
**
I long for your face, woman.
I long for your face, woman,
Scattered among faces.
The lips crave a kiss,
And fear the fire of the hearth.
The body is weary with longing,
And the mind has strayed from my own.
I stood my heart guard,
Above the snow, ready.
Your eyes passed by it,
So, I commanded it to be still.
And the snow feels as we do.
Embrace it, so it may warm.
Say "I love you," my poet,
So, my extinguished sun may shine again.
I congratulated the flowers of the hills,
And I was denied congratulations for you.
For life, you are the beloved,
Without you, it will not begin.
**
Tremors of Passion
I learned it from her, oh, how I wish
If only she had taught me love despite the teacher
The sweetest of sciences, if I were to complete it
She desires my continued apprenticeship
Love is the highest blessing bestowed upon us
In it lies the heart's joy, or in it lies nourishment
I have lived a lifetime in the labyrinths of hardship
If I were to recite love poetry, they would say: This is raving
I feared the tremors of passion Since childhood,
I have heard reproaches from this one and that one.
If I say: I practiced love willingly,
they cry: Enough! Enough! Enough! This is a disgrace!
When I kindled my words with a kiss,
I feared being nullified and cast out.
They said: In his eyes is a love that is unbelieving,
So let us steal love and rain it down upon him.
A wretched East, out of step with its time,
Fears love in the light. And pleasure
Sex, he decreed, is terrifying and abhorrent
Neither religion nor the Lord of fragrance approves of it
But secretly he gains power over
A woman he bought to inflict pain upon
Mirrors tell a tale of his depravity
That might shame doors and windows
Look at him... a strange, laughable form
If he sees the dress, he will immediately turn away
His hollow teeth have become A coal-colored thing
And good fortune, if it doesn't bare its teeth
All people meet their friends
And our East is still a place of sorcery
**
Madness
Save me from my madness
From my screams, from my moans
Every time you turn away
You cast me out of my clothes
Have mercy on my heart and mind
My mind has flown away, my eyes
I walk like a madman
Dragging my doubts behind me
I no longer live my day
My years have left my life
You are my day... You are my life
You are my dreams... My longing
You will never belong to another
Always be in my heart
**
Love in London
-1-
Say: I love you…
So, I may depose the neighbour of the Thames
And crown you in her place, queen
Over the remnants of sun and mist…
-2-
Buckingham Palace yearns for the music of coquetry
Unleashed, like the beating of my heart,
From the rhythm of your footsteps. Your shoes, adorned with Sydney roses,
will conquer an empire no man has ever conquered.
And when they meet you,
London will erupt in cheers,
and be intoxicated with ecstasy.
Even the squirrels of Hyde Park
will abandon their nests,
to live in your radiant time.
-3-
Say: I love you…
So that the hands of Big Ben’s clock may dance
After a long period of mourning…
And announce before the guards of your palace
That the hour of my entering your presence has come.
**
Alpine Tiles
-1-
The Swiss tiles
Stuck their colours on the rooftops
And craned to see you...
-2-
The Alps shed their snowy cloaks
And bowed to catch your breath...
-3-
The famous Longines watches
Set the time of your arrival
Just as the year sets its seasons,
So that the Rhine wouldn't be surprised...
And rage!
-4-
Lake Lucerne...
Granted its fish a vacation
No longer than the moment you passed
By its shores...
So, they might learn to swim
In the sea of your eyes...
-5-
My presence with you is strange...
Neither Switzerland welcomed me,
Nor your shy smile...
Look at me...
For Swiss eyes see me only through yours.
**
The Venice Gondola
-1-
Fear not, my love...
The gondola will not betray you...
It will not sink...
It is the companion of calm waters
Since Venice was founded...
-2-
Step aboard...
So that its sailor may sing to you
To the rhythm of a melodious oar,
A song composed by the waves
And sung by Italy.
-3-
The street streams are ready to welcome you...
Flocks of doves guard the harbours of the roads,
And the land has planned your voyage...
Give me your hand...
Sail with me...
For the journey will not begin except with you.
**
Amsterdam Bicycles
-1-
Amsterdam bicycles know their role well:
Run in front of their eyes,
So, they will admire you!!
-2-
Their air wheels
Pick up the shadows of your body from the roads
To pitch them in the wind like a tent
For the birds of the fields,
Wounded by the trenches of water, to take refuge in.
-3-
Its passengers race towards you...
Waving their hats,
Spotted like their cowhides,
Inviting you to stroll across the city's surface
On a new carpet of wind,
One that Scheherazade never rode,
And no writer's imagination ever conceived.
-4-
O daughter of the East...
O granddaughter of poetry and sleepless nights...
Holland will cherish the beads of sweat
that flow from you,
to revive the flowers of lovers
during the dry hours.
**
Can-Can Girls
-1-
The Champs-Élysées is heavy with its cafes,
with perfume bottles,
and with the hairstyles of its women.
The bodies of lovers adorn it,
and their sighs bring it joy.
-2-
Come, let's enter the Lido,
to immerse our eyes in the bosoms of the Can-Can girls,
and gather from beneath their feet
dances that have scattered like glass.
I have often praised your breasts,
so, you have every right to compare them...
And I have every right to realize that they are the most beautiful,
And that Parisian women have learned from them pride
And chastity.
-3-
Your chest is as lofty as the Eiffel Tower…
And as round as the Arc de Triomphe…
And I am lost between roundness
And loftiness,
Doubts diminish me,
And fear brings me to my knees…
Would that the Place de la Concorde would draw near to me…
Would that it would have mercy on me…
My love for you is wider than squares,
And higher than the tower.
**
I am a stranger in Germany
-1-
I wanted to gift your swaying body a bottle of perfume,
But the perfume is as sad as the shops of Heidelberg,
And its historic castle.
-2-
Germany is gloomy on this sorrowful Friday.
Everything in it suffers from desolation,
Even my visiting heart, and the kohl in your eyes.
3-
Only the church of Colón
refused to close its doors
Like the mouths of passers-by
Its mournful hymns wounded the throats of the worshippers,
And plunged them into pain.
-4-
My faith compelled me to enter…
It carried me to her, as I carry you in my arms…
But a priest, tyrannical as a monkey,
Ordered me to move away from the worshippers’ seats,
And made me kneel in the corner…
-5-
I am a stranger in Germany…
Neither the church stones know me, nor the priests’ tyranny…
Introduce me to them…
Tell them: This is my beloved, love him as you love your Lord. The sky,
And the face of God shines forth...
Your German is as firm as our hands,
And your angelic smile erases hatred
With a single chirp...
And you are most like
The enchanting women of Germany.
-6-
A single word from you...
Brings closer the holiday,
And turns sadness into joy...
And brings back the lights to the shops.
I want a bottle of perfume...
And all I have is your saliva!
**
If they hadn't burned the dream
On the island of Bali...
-1-
Before terror crept into the wings of the sparrows...
And before the baobab trees knelt,
And their backs broke...
I gifted you joy in Bali.
-2-
If Sari Klub hadn't died,
And drowned in the blood of the innocent,
He would have told the universe our story:
How we tamed the dance floor with our feet.
And how the wine bottles trembled and sighed when I sipped your saliva.
-3-
The inhabitants of Bali loved you at first sight.
Their greeting to you was a welcome.
The garlands of flowers they offered for your neck
Refused to wither after a week of pampering
And swaying upon your breasts.
Their necklaces adorned you,
They beautified you,
They restored you to an Eastern princess,
Whose duel the West fears.
-4-
Had they not burned the dream in Bali...
I would have followed in your footsteps,
And gathered them one by one in my suitcase.
I will not return to Sydney,
While the shores of Nusa Dua
Retain the dust of your feet!
Oh, how thick its crystal-clear waters are!
They stole you from me,
And bathed you a hundred times a minute,
Without even a glance at me,
Or acknowledging my presence with you!
-5-
(Kota), as sweet as honey,
Didn't interfere.
She gifted us her streets,
Her shops,
And the two restaurants (Pizza Hut)
And (McDonald's)...
And whispered in our ears:
Don't be afraid of ghosts,
For the believer has nothing to fear.
And suddenly, the ghosts crept into Kuta
And extinguished her radiant,
Angelic smile with the flames of their deadly hatred.
Two years after our journey to Bali, Kuta voiced her fear.
-6-
Bring me the bouquets of flowers you keep,
so, I may return them to Bali.
Our island is sad,
my love,
like our Palestinian mothers,
her green face veiled in pain,
her heart throbbing with love wounded,
and the faces of her visitors reaped with the sickle of terror.
Where are the people?
I hear the rattle of her heart,
The whisper of her tears,
Life will not return to Bali,
Unless we return to it...
And erase with our faithful dances
The barbaric, infidel fingerprints.
**
Confession Notes
Written at age 16
-1-
Love is a god incarnate in hearts.
Love is what created us.
-2-
Today...
I began to feel as though I were born anew.
I was like a mirage,
like a dream...
And now, I have become reality,
I have become a human being who feels,
empathizes,
and loves.
-3-
My beloved...
I want her for myself alone...
For she is my whole life,
And my life belongs to no one.
-4-
How I long to hold her in my hands,
To squeeze her pure essence,
And draw the light of my life from her eyes.
-5-
I dream of her every night...
Her beautiful image haunts me,
Transporting me to a world of velvety seconds,
With mercurial heartbeats. To a world...
Reached only by those who love.
-6-
I want to tell her
On the shore of an imaginary sea:
My moon...
From you I draw the light of my life.
Life without you is bitter.
How I wish I could wash your feet with my tears,
And weave your veil from the morning light.
How I wish I could fall asleep like a little child
In your arms
And inhale the fragrance of your radiant face.
-7-
Your love, my beloved, is sacred to me.
Your love is a god I worship,
and a moon from which I draw inspiration for my writing.
Your love is a flower I water with my tears,
and a portrait I paint with my blood.
Never have I loved like this...
My heart calls to you,
My pen writes of you,
My thoughts are with you,
And everything in me is yours.
You are me, my life.
-8-
Have you heard the story of Qays, Majnun Layla?
Or the legend of Romeo and Juliet?
They all died to live by love...
But I am alive,
And your love is killing me with longing for you.
-9-
Your hands...
Beauty fashioned them with moonlight.
Your hands...
For them, I will defy fate. My beloved,
It is you I love, and it is you I worship...
For I feel tenderness in your heart,
And love in your eyes,
And the joy of life in your soul,
And eternity dwells between your eyelids.
---
Al-Dabour, Issue 2320, January 9, 1970, Beirut
**
Mexican Hat
-1-
When the cactus trees stretched out to see you, I felt jealous.
And I decided to leave Mexico
As quickly as possible.
-2-
Is it possible for trees to love?
Is it conceivable that she would throw her beautiful,
Colourful blossoms at a woman's feet?
That's what happened... and that's what I wanted to get rid of!
I won't even allow the trees to love you more than I do.
-3-
Yes... yes... I won't visit Mexico again.
When the guitarist placed his Mexican hat on your head,
My head exploded. And when he asked you to dance,
My heart danced in my chest, its beat synchronized to the rhythm of your feet.
-4-
The cactus flower and the round hat that hid your face from me—
I won't take them with me to Sydney.
It's impossible for me to live in a house inhabited by suspicion and jealousy.
Leave the cactus and the hat in Mexico
And come to my chest...
You are mine alone.
**
Daughter of Egypt
-1-
Had I not visited Egypt,
I would not have been able to understand your beauty.
The Nile... your eyes,
and its banks... your lips,
The palm trees... your hair,
and the pyramids...
the height of chastity upon your breast.
As for the pearls of your smile,
I found them dancing proudly
on the lips of Egyptians.
Ah...
How beautiful you are, Daughter of Egypt!
-2-
Mount Muqattam bowed in reverence to your presence.
Its historic citadel lit its candles
above its towering walls,
celebrating your arrival.
Its prison, filled with painful memories,
when your hands touched its cold stones,
disavowed the tyrannical rulers
throughout the ages.
You were the warmth it had never known.
You were the tenderness it lacked,
amidst the screams of prisoners and the roars of executioners.
You were mercy
in a time when mercy was lost.
-3-
O daughter of Egypt...
A title I bestowed upon you to increase your pride,
and grant you the beauty of Cleopatra and the love of Antony. Ah, how wonderful Cairo is
When she gave you safety,
When she embraced you,
And kissed your pure brow.
Only there did I feel my reward,
And that I had chosen the most beautiful woman on earth
To hear her say every morning:
I love you... Yes, I love you.
**
An Angel in Dubai
-1-
Before you visited Dubai,
You were an angel,
And your love was my heaven.
Take the key to my heart
And enter my tents,
One by one,
So, I may welcome you as a heroine
Whose footsteps make books tremble.
-2-
Here I extend my hand;
Let your poems await me,
And all the poets' collections.
My loss without you is painful;
Take my hand and paint a smile on my face.
-3-
I have nothing left to lose;
Dubai has stolen you from me!
Its streets, its buildings, its towers
All opened their mouths when they saw you.
And I am lost in the desert.
I count its grains of sand, one by one…
And I complain to it of your absence.
-4-
How can I return to Sydney without you?
How can I drag an entire city
To drag you with it?
Tell me, for God's sake:
To whom can I complain about Dubai?
She is beautiful despite my resentment…
And kind despite my complaints,
And generous despite my stinginess…
Believe me, she knows
That a lover's stinginess is a virtue.
I will not give you to her,
I will cling to you
Until she tires of both of us
And casts us out together.
**
I have given you Lebanon
-1-
Look, my beloved, at my eternal paradise
And thank God for His many blessings.
In its hanging gardens are fruit-bearing trees,
singing birds,
and springs of honey,
which, at their confluence, formed a river,
that none but you have ever relied upon,
Guarding its banks are a million nymphs,
Carrying cymbals in their hands,
and bottles of rosewater.
This paradise of mine, its name is... Lebanon.
-2-
Here, my love, was our meeting,
And here we shall end…
There is no paradise more beautiful than my homeland.
“Its cedar forest” is my garden,
“Baalbek Castle” is my palace,
“Byblos” is the source of my craft,
And from its springs flows my blood.
How could I not give it to you,
When you are its true owner?!
You are its daughter and the apple of its eye,
So, do not withhold your children from it.
-3-
Return to it, so that they may return…
Love it, so that they may love it…
Feed them its food,
Let them drink from its heritage,
And clothe them in the grains of its soil.
For the dust of the homeland is sacred, my love.
Let them tickle it with their bare feet.
I have entrusted my homeland to you,
Just as I have entrusted my generations to you…
So be a good mother.
**
You colonized Hong Kong
-1-
When we arrived in Hong Kong,
China was preparing to pounce.
The British were packing their bags
To leave after six months.
Then you arrived...
The people felt that a new colonialism
Had befallen their city,
And that China and England
Would raise their hands in surrender to you.
Your presence changed the international equations
And beautified colonialism.
-2-
Your captivating beauty bound them,
Pinning them to the streets like lampposts,
Forcing them to relinquish their eyes,
Which they had given to you.
Nothing remained on their faces but glasses.
-3-
Only Kowloon bothered me.
When we entered its station,
I found that the trains had stopped
To feast their eyes on you!
Hundreds of people crowded into your cabin,
Hoping to touch your pure body.
And I stood helpless, unable to protect you.
-4-
The only thing that made me laugh
Was the police chasing street vendors...
And you chasing a vendor
Who stole your money and ran away.
I was laughing,
And the streets were laughing with me.
When we decided to return,
Hong Kong was sad,
China was happy,
And England boarded our plane
So, as not to leave you alone.
**
Brussels Flower
-1-
Beautiful is Belgium...
I will never forget your whisper as long as I live...
For your voice was overflowing with tenderness,
And brimming with love.
The stones of the squares echoed it,
Just as they echoed the songs of soldiers
Returning from war.
-2-
I don't know why you were so amazed
By the flower show in Brussels?
And you, the most beautiful flower!
Didn't that venerable old man
Rebuke you with his gruff voice,
To leave his flowers,
When he saw that eyes were fixed on you,
And ignoring the flowers?
Didn't the child by the fountain welcome you
With a dance and a sip of water?
Your amazement was in a whisper...
But their amazement was in poems.
-3-
The drizzle falls in torrents,
And you try to catch its drops
With your small hands…
And every time you catch one,
It turns into a burning ember,
And the fault isn't with it,
But with your body ablaze with femininity.
-4-
Belgium was tedious for me,
For I spent my time
Running after you
Like a bodyguard,
Grumbling whenever a man approached you,
And backing away whenever a woman came near.
That's how I am, my love,
I'm jealous of you even of myself,
So don't change me…
So, you don't lose my attention.
I love you in my own way,
And that's what Brussels understood
From the first glance.
**
Princess of Singapore
-1-
Santosa Island, a tourist destination,
bears witness to the chapter of terror
we lived through together...
No sooner had we boarded
That accursed cable car
Suspended between the sky and the water,
Then a raging storm erupted,
Rain poured down in torrents,
And thunder began to embrace the lightning,
You were screaming and calling for me,
I stood before you like the Sphinx,
Unable to take a step,
For fear that the madness of nature
Would hurl me out of the capsule.
And when we reached the island's shore,
your gaze changed towards me,
And you began to distance yourself from me,
Blaming me for the dangers we faced.
-2-
Singapore grieved for your sorrow,
Worked tirelessly to comfort you,
Offering you its flowers and birds,
Nay, even gifting you a street of beautiful,
Colourful orchids...
Even the hotel staff
Began treating you like a princess,
Scattering hundreds of smiles
And welcoming words around you.
And you were still sad and afraid,
I turned my face away from you
So, you wouldn't see my tears.
-3-
...And on the third day...
The sun of your smile shone,
And you whispered in my ear:
"Wake up, my love,
We have a long day ahead of us."
And suddenly... I pulled you close,
And kissed you like a madman,
You laughed... and cried out:
"I love you... I love you."
-4-
Now I have forgiven Sentosa Island for all its sins,
Especially when you hugged that strange man,
While riding behind him on a huge elephant,
Afraid of falling.
I also forgave it for the time you entered its zoo
And chased after that turkey,
Wanting to hug and kiss it.
It's the thousandth time you've forgotten
That your kisses belong to me alone,
And I won't give up a single one,
Not even to the birds.
Only Singapore knew why I cried.
**
