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Relieve Us, O Breeze of Dawn!
By Shaykh Baha’udDeen As-Sayyadi رضي الله عنه بحر الرمل روِّحينا يا نُسَيْماتُ الصّبا … واحْمِلي للشَّيبِ أَنفاسَ الصِّبا Relieve us, O soft-breezes of the dawn; carry the breaths of youth unto the grayed elder! وعلى الضِّلعَيْنِ من بانِ النَّقا … فانْشُري من نشرِ مَن نهوى خِبَا And, upon both winding-sides of the morningas of Naqa, Continue reading
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Not as You Desire!
By Tamim Al-Barghouthi بحر الرجز الْعِشْقُ لا يَأْتِي كَمَا تُرِيدُهُ Love does not come as you desire it! وَلَيْسَ إِنْ فَاتَكَ تَسْتَعِيدُهُ Nor can you ask for It to return if It slips away! ذُو جانِبَيْنِ وَعْدُهُ وَوَعِيدُهُ It has two sides: Its promises and Its threats… أَخَفَّهُ مُؤْنَةً وَوَطِيدُهُ Its softest is a heavy Continue reading
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It Was an Eye and a Brow!
By Unknown Author بحر الطويل فَلَمّا رآني العاذِلون مُتَيَّما … كَئيباً بِمَن أَهوى وَعَقلي ذاهِبُ So when the censurers saw me, raptured in and melancholic over the One whom I love, and my intellect gone… رَثوا لي وَقالوا كُنت بِالأَمس عاقِلًا … أَصابَتكَ عَينٌ قُلتُ عَينٌ وَحاجِبُ They sang a eulogy for me and said: Continue reading
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O Night of Union!
By Shaykh Umar Al-Yafi رضي الله عنه مخلع البسيط يَا لَيْلَةَ الوَصْلِ هَلْ تَعُودِي … وَتُنْجِزِي بِالوَفَا وُعُودِي O night of union, will you return? Will you loyally fulfill my promises? فَالسَّقْمُ قَدْ نَمَّ عَنْ غَرَامِي … وَرَقَّ لِي فِي الهَوَى حَسُودِي For my love-sickness has revealed my love-ransom; even my envier softened to me Continue reading
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I Remembered at Ramah…
By Shaykh ‘Afeefud-Deen At-Telimsani رضي الله عنه بحر المتقارب تَذَكَّرْتُ مِنْ رَامةٍ مَوْرِدا … إلى مَائِهِ العذْبِ أَشْكُو الصَّدا I remembered a drinking-place at Ramah; unto its sweet water, I complain of thirst… مَنَازِلُ قَدْ نَزَلَتْهَا سُعَادُ … وَإِلَّا فَمَا الطَّيْرُ فِيهِا شَدا These are dwellings which Su’ad graced; were it not the case, then Continue reading
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Peacocks upon Camels!
By Shaykh MuhyidDeen Ibn Arabi رضي الله عنه بحر البسيط ما رَحَّلوا يومَ بانوا البُزَّلَ العيسا … إِلّا وَقَد حَمَلوا فيها الطَواويسا They did not saddle the red-white teething camels, on the day They departed, until They had mounted the peacocks upon them… مِن كُلِّ فاتِكَةِ الأَلحاظِ مالِكَةٍ … تَخالُها فَوقَ عَرشِ الدُرِّ بِلقيسا Of Continue reading
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Anklet and Beauty-Mark
By Shaykh Amin Al-Jundi رضي الله عنه موشح كَيْفَ أَسْلُو أَيُّهَا الْخَالِي … رَبَّةَ الْخِلْخَالِ وَالْخَالِ How can I forget the Ladt of the anklet and beauty-mark, O one empty of love? يَا هَزَارًا بِالصَّبَا غَنَّى … فَوْقَ غُصْنِ الرَّوْضَةِ الْغَنَّا هَلْ سَمِعْتَ الْحِجْلَ إِذْ رَنَّا … أَوْ نَظَرْتَ الْمَبْسَمَ الْحَالِي؟ O nightingale who sang Continue reading
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Beauty of Character and Form…
By Ibrahim Hamdan بحر الكامل لو لمْ يكُنْ فيها سِوَى أخلاقها … لَعَشقْتُها لمُجَرّدِ الأخْلاقِ If She didn’t have anything but Her manners, I would have loved Her passionately just for Her character! لكنّمَا زادَ الإلهُ جَلالَهَا … نوراً كنُورِ الشّمسِ في الآفاقِ However, God has increased Her majesty with light, like the Sun’s light Continue reading
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Youth and Beauty are Yours…
By Bishara Al-Khouri, Al-Akhtal As-Sagheer بحر الخفيف الصِّبا والجمالُ مِلكُ يَديك ِ … أيُّ تاجٍ أعزُّ من تاجَيكِ! Youth and beauty are Your hands’ sovereign possession; what crown is more exalted than Yours? نصبَ الحُبُّ عرشَه فسَألْنا … من تُراها له فدلَّ عليكِ Love has erected its throne so we asked: “Who do you see Continue reading
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Forget the Beloved?!
By Unknown بحر البسيط قَالُوا: تَسَلَّ عَنِ الْمَحْبُوبِ، قُلْتُ: بِمَنْ … كَيْفَ التَّسَلِّي وَفِي الْأَحْشَاءِ نِيرَانُ؟ They said: “Forget the Beloved!” I said: “With whom? How can one forget if fires burn in my very core?” إِنَّ التَّسَلِّي حَرَامٌ فِي مَذَاهِبِنَا … فَكَيْفَ يُبْدَلُ بِالْكُفْرَانِ إِيمَانُ؟ Verily, vain-distraction from the Beloved is forbidden in our Continue reading