What are your favourite Arabic poems?
Nizar Qabbani is my favorite Arabic poet without a doubt, his romantic poetry is so immaculate and beautiful. Here are some examples, even though the translations really don't do them justice:
“What is the difference between me and the sky?”
I stretch out on the shore
It would have left its shores,
for long ages have passed
since a miracle has touched this world.
but your body speaks every language
You still ask me about the day of my birth
So write down what you don’t know
The day you declared your love
When God bestowed women on men
He was clearly biased toward me
But gave other men the wheat,
But clothed those men in cotton,
And of course, best for last:
That I was tolling the bells of scandal.
To increase the number of leaves
I wanted to make the oceans bluer
And the children more innocent.
I wanted to put an end to the savage age
And to kill the last Caliph.
To break down the doors of the harem.
To protect women’s breasts
So that their nipples could
Dance in the air with delight.
I knew I was inventing a new alphabet
For a city that does not read.
To those who did not know
My photograph would be plastered
Would be distributed to all police stations.
To whomever carried my head to them
To be hung at the city gates
Like a Palestinian orange.
All the sick and impotent men
When I decided to kill the last Caliph
The establishment of a state of love
Crowning you as its Queen.
Would sing of the revolution with me.
He also has very good and still relevant political poetry addressing things like dictatorship and religious conservativism in the Arab World, but that's for another time