Arabian Love Poems: Full Arabic and English Texts (Three Continents Press) - Softcover

Nizar Qabbani; Bassam K. Frangieh; Clementina R. Brown

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0894108816 ISBN 13: 9780894108815

Publisher: Three Continents Pr, 1999

Synopsis

Nizar Kabbani s poetry has been described as more powerful than all the Arab regimes put together (Lebanese Daily Star). Reflecting on his death in 1998, Sulhi Al-Wadi wrote (in Tishreen), Qabbani is like water, bread, and the sun in every Arab heart and house. In his poetry the harmony of the heart, and in his blood the melody of love. Arabian Love Poems is the first English-language collection of his work.

Kabbani was a poet of great simplicity direct, spontaneous, musical, using the language of everyday life. He was a ceaseless campaigner for women s rights, and his verses praise the beauty of the female body, and of love. He was an Arab nationalist, yet he criticized Arab dictators and the lack of freedom in the Arab world. He was the poet of Damascus: I am the Damascene. If you dissect my body, grapes and apples will come out of it. If you open my veins with your knife, you will hear in my blood the voices of those who have departed.

Frangieh and Brown s elegant translations are accompanied by the Arabic texts of the poems, penned by Kabbani especially for this collection.

About this title

About the Author:

Nizar Kabbani was born in Syria in 1923, to a traditional, well-to-do family. He served in Syria s diplomatic corp for more than twenty years (1945-1966), but settled for political reasons in London. He died on April 30, 1998; at his request, he was buried in Damascus.

Language Notes:

Text: English, Arabic (translation)
Original Language: Arabic

About this edition

• Publisher: Three Continents Pr
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0894108816
• ISBN 13: 9780894108815
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 225