My eyes see nothing without your beauty

Dedication: To lovers between material reality and the plane of imagination 

The following poem was sent to me by one of my elders the summer of 2016. The verses are from the poem by the Damascene Ottoman Sufi ʿAbd al-Ghanī al-Nābulsī (d. 1731). 

Like so much medieval Arabic devotional poetry, the poem lives on in song and recitation. To my knowledge, this poem has not been previously translated in English. I have included my attempt at an original English translation beside the Arabic text below. 

The first translation is of the form of the poem as I first encountered it. Another elder pointed out that the text differs from the version she is familiar with, including the additional "wāw" added at the end of the verses for vocalization in the first text. I have translated this version as well. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

This is the first version I received.

 My eyes see nothing without your beauty  

Without you, my mind ponders nothing else  

You fill my thoughts above all creation

By your love, I die and I am resurrected

My lord, my heart holds fast to you

I could never bear even an hour apart from you

But you left, so my solace also vanished

And upon your distance, life became wretched

Yet God is greater than that which decreed separation

Should you leave me, to whom shall I turn?

When I advised my heart patience, it rebuked me,

"No patience for me! No patience for me!  I shall not be!"

If I sleep, you are with me in my dreams

And in my waking state, it is you that I see

There is no difference between me and my imagining you

If you should vanish, so would I; And should you be present, so would I

For in reality, the two of us are one

Except that I am of the lowest and you are majestic

And I hope that perhaps your kindness would restore me

From my diminished dignity and wretchedness. 

The final inscription at the bottom of the image reads, "Pray upon him and rejoice. May prayers and peace be upon him." 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the other hand, here is another version of the poem written byʿAbd al-Ghanī al-Nābulsī. I have included my English translation below the Arabic text.  

From http://bit.ly/2ts88gm

My eyes see nothing other than your beauty 

Without you, my mind ponders nothing else 

You fill my thoughts above all creation

By your love, I die and I am resurrected
Oh Lord, my heart holds fast to you

I could never bear even an hour apart from you

If I sleep, You are in my dreams with me

And should I awake, it is you that I see

There is no difference between me and my vision of you

If you should vanish, so would I; And should you be present, I would be, too

For in reality, the two of us are one
Except that I am of the lowest and you are majestic
And I hope that perhaps your kindness would restore me 

For I took flight from my own dignity and became most wretched.

How perfect you are, my lord, the Master of creation

Indeed I seek, by your glory, your succor 

And I have made my means to you a master

Whom You have sent with truth to make your Way manifest 

He is the Prophet -- Muhammad -- above all of creation

Your prayers upon him shall never cease

Choctaw Nation

Dedication: To bearing witness

A family elder used to live in a very small Oklahoma town with a population of a little over 1,000 human beings - almost  40% of whom were Choctaw Nation, 54% white, 1% black, and 5% all others. He moved there to serve as a physician for a Choctaw clinic located in one of the most beautiful valleys I’ve ever seen - and have yet to see. Generous, committed, a snorter when he laughs, and the very fulfillment of the absent-minded professor trope, the doctor was loved by his patients so much that they would bring him fruits and vegetables from their gardens, including squash, peaches, and walnuts.

His family was one of two Muslim families and the only Bangladeshi family in that town. The closest masjid that held Friday congregational prayers was 1.5 hours away.  A self-assured and proud Muslim, this doctor kept a beard and regularly wore a topi; his wife, who could not speak much English at the time, wore colorful hijabs to match her colorful saris, shalwar kamises, and jilbabs. 



When their land lady, a white Baptist woman in her 90s who owned two llamas and made her own moo moos, first saw them praying, she was genuinely curious and asked after they had finished, “So … are you … Jewish?”

They said no, so she guessed again.

“Ah. So you must be...Catholic?” 

Being Jewish or Catholic was the strangest thing she could imagine. Muslim as a category of religious difference was not even on her radar -- at the time.

So she learned from her new neighbors who Muslims are. She also learned to love them until the day she died. 

On the day of the 9/11 attacks in 2001, this elder continued to see and treat his patients as usual throughout the day.  Before he went home, a Choctaw elder who was his patient approached him and said, "If any one gives you trouble, you let us know. We will protect you."

In that moment, the Choctaw elder had the wisdom - rooted in a long communal memory - to understand that this new Bangladeshi Muslim doctor did not know the kind of racial violence his patient sensed was coming.

In that moment, the doctor didn’t fully understand what his patient was saying -- until he saw the glass shards of broken beer bottles littering the path that led to the front door of his home where his pregnant wife was waiting, shaded by the most gorgeous magnolia tree I have ever seen. 

--

We bear witness to those who stood, stand, and will stand for us expecting nothing in return. Our hearts in turn stand and beat for them in prayer and remembrance; a prayer and remembrance that asks for the integrity, dignity, and courage to do the same; a prayer and remembrance that travels dimensions and penetrates the sky and earth; a prayer and remembrance that is affirmed and repeated by every angel bowing or prostrating, by every leaf and blade of grass, by every rock and grain of sand, by every conscious being in the water and on land, by every sunrise and sunset, by every moon birth and as it wanes, by every celestial body known and unknown. Amin. Amen. Let it be.

12 Ramadan 1438 / 8 June 2017

NYC Prayer Vigil for Standing Rock, November 5, 2016

Love & Fear 1438/2016

                                 I'm too afraid

                                                    To even whisper his name

أحيا اسمه

                        For fear

 في هوى البدر التمام

                                                         That the trembling of my lips

بافتقاري

                                                 And tremor in my voice

وانكساري 

                                                   Would expose the rapture

فحان حمامي

                                   Of his memory

يانور الوجود

                                           Traversing my veins

بشرى لنا

                                           And softly inscribed

نلنا المنى

                                    In the pulsating 

دوم تك تك دوم تك

                                       Heartbeats so loud

دوم تك تك دوم تك

                                 Chest bursting

طالما أشكو غرامي

                                     Unable to bear it

يا عذولي

                              I would beg

لا تلمني

                                 I would plead

مدد يا مدد

                       Loudly

خذ بيدي

                         "Silence!"

أبان مولده

                                                Whereby the watchmen 

فكيف تنكر حبا بعد ما شَهِدت؟

                                        Issue their warrant

فكيف تنكر حبا بعد ما شَهِدت؟

                                             To cage this madness 

كيف؟

                         I've tried

معذرة

                       So hard

عدتك حالي

                            To protect 

                      Inside.

                                                

 اللهم صل وسلم وبارك عليه وعلى آله

11 December 2016
12 Rabi' Al-Awwal 1438

New York City

Moses on Karbala

"End of the Trail" by Frank Parrish

Pharoah

Let my people go

Let me lead them home

I will split the sea

We will wander free

Freed from desire for your throne

A throne upon which

Red blood flows quick

And the tears of mothers crying

For dear Husayns betrayed

And brave Zaynabs slayed 

And all the innocents dying

Dying for the right to hope
The right to love
The right to believe

In blessed days free from your grip

Basking in divine reprieve 

10 Muharram 1429 / 11 October 2016 / Yom Kippur 5777 

A Lover's Impatience

Dedication: To searching for one thing and finding another

I was searching for a specific citation through one of the books of Al-ʻIqd Al-Farīd by Ibn ʻAbd Rabbihi (d. 940)  when I came across the following couplet:

Attributed to "the poet," the verses are recited by Muhammad ibn Salām to Muhammad ibn Hārūn al-Amīn. Here is my rough translation:

Passion recollected, the lovesick one began to sigh

Head bowed, shame appeared upon his countenance.

Oh, one who tells me to be patient, have pity!

 Patience is never borne well by lovers.

Poetic Counsel

Dedication: To loved ones who send you poems as Ramadan gifts. Also -- to keyboard warriors 😏

On 19 Ramadan 1437 / 24 June 2016, I read the following verses sent to me by a friend before walking over to the library to continue my dissertation work: 

The short poem above is described with the heading "Invaluable Counsel." The upbeat meter of the poetry's form including the unusual rhyme of Ḥā' is infused by the charmingly gentle and clear tone of its content.  I found the verses widely circulated on the internet and shared in the form of images (as the one above), as memes, and in blogs without a writer attributed. Here is my translation below: 

 

My dear brother, give counsel and do not shame

Admonish without injury

Forgive the one who hurts (you) and say,

"May the Lord of Creation forgive."

Should you find yourself in the world's tightening grip

Reflect upon (the chapter) "Alam nashraḥ..."

And ask your Lord for reprieve

Perhaps God will grant you an opening*

Follow the best of those who were sent

Delight in the Door that will never close

Leave behind that which you desired, and seize

The more becoming desire for the Noble One

Do not (solely) rely upon your intellect

 The intellect of the Chosen One is more perceptive

Do not bear contempt for anyone

For those filled with hatred never succeed

Trade in your world for that which is to come

Truly, it is a blessed and most profitable trade!

For reconciliation is more virtuous

And the virtuous one attains success  

Invoke blessings and everlasting peace upon the Beloved
And rejoice in the most delightful of melodies.

-----------

*In other versions I found online, the following additional verse is included:

و قُلْ حَقّاً بِلَا مَيْنٍ

إِذَا مَا شِئْتَ أَنْ تَمْزَحْ

Speak the truth without deception
Should you wish to speak in jest

Ode to the Prison Shadows

Dedication: To obsessively needing to translate a song that remained with me after curtain call

[Originally posted on the blog Arabic Literature (in English)]

Image from the film 3000 Nights

On Monday, 25 April 2016, I heard a hauntingly beautiful rendition of verses from Najib al-Rayyes in Mai Masri's new feature film 3000 Nights. I quickly jotted down the verses during the screening on the paperback cover of the Song of Solomon in my purse.  That Wednesday, I googled the verses and not only found various musical renditions, including the one by Macadi Nahhas used in the film, but also the larger poem to which they belonged.  I proceeded to translate the entire poem text after midnight.  

I found the final verses confusing, so before going to bed, around 3:30 a.m., I impulsively sent my translation to a mentor.  He suggested what I have kept in a footnote.  The poem text differs slightly from the verses sung in the audio clip in the movie, so I have also included the variation mentioned in the movie in a footnote.

-----------

يا ظلام السجن خيّم
كلمات: نجيب الريس (1922)

يا ظلام السجن خيّم إننا نهوى الظلاما
ليس بعد الليل إلا فجرَ مجدٍ يتسامى

إيه يا أرضَ الفخارِ يا مقّر المخلصينا
قد هبطناكِ شبابًا لا يهابون المنونا

وتعاهدنا جميعًا يومَ اقسمنا اليمينا
لن نخون العهدَ يومًا واتخذنا الصدقَ دينًا

ايّها الحُراس عفوًا واسمعوا منّا الكلاما
متعونا بهواءٍ منعه كانَ حرا مًا

لستُ والله نسّيًا ما تقاسيه بلادي
فاشهد يا نجم أنّي ذو وفاءٍ وودادِ

يا رنينَ القيدِ زدني  نغمةً تُشجي فؤادي
إن في صوتك معنىً للأسى والاضطهادِ

لم أكن يومًا اثيمًا لم أخن يومًا نظاما
انما حب بلادي في فؤادي قد اقاما​

Ode to the Prison Shadows

by Najib al-Rayyes (1898-1952)

This poem was written in 1922 by the Syrian journalist Najib al-Rayyes when he was exiled by the French and imprisoned on Arwad Island, a small island off the Syrian coast, for resisting French colonial occupation during the Mandate period. 

Oh, Prison Shadows, stay a while 

Indeed, we yearn for darkness[1]

It won't be long before the night

Is overcome by glorious dawn

Oh, Land of Pride

Oh, Abode of the Steadfast

We descended upon you while in our prime

Unafraid of death

We made a promise

The day we took the oath:

We would never betray the promise

And have taken integrity[2] as our religion

Oh, Prison Guards, we beg your pardon

Listen to our words

Grant us some air

Forbidding it was (always) forbidden

 

By God, I will not forget

The long-suffering of my country

Bear witness, Heavenly Star

That I am of the loyal and loving

Oh, Rattling Chains, grant me

A melody that grieves my heart

For in your voice[3] are meanings

Of sorrow and persecution

I was never a sinner

I never betrayed the order[4]

Rather the love of my country

Has taken residence in my heart.

---

[1] In Mai Masri’s film, the verse sung translates as “We are not afraid of the darkness,” rather than “Indeed, we yearn for the darkness.” 

[2] In Macadi Nahhas’s rendition, she sings “And we have taken love as our religion,” replacing the word "integrity."

[3] That is, the noise of the chains.

[4] This verse confused me at first.  One explanation I received is that the poet is saying he was not a criminal, a rabble-rouser, or a provocateur.