Ports of Soul

  Hasan al-Nifi's photo    “A Flower from my Country” by Hasan al-Nifi   Oh, flower It has lost her dew suddenly The heart’s tears flowed into its vein She scavenges from soil pain and sips Embers of catastrophe from the silt of its depths   Her roots’ pulse has watered the earth’s wounds Its tenderness … Continue reading Ports of Soul

Arabian Love Poems: Full Arabic and English Texts

  In his obituary to the celebrated Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani, published a few days after his death in May 1998, Adel Darwish writes that “for Qabbani, national liberation was meaningless without sexual liberation.” Qabbani, who had spent much of his life as a diplomat and ardent Arab nationalist, also spent much of his life … Continue reading Arabian Love Poems: Full Arabic and English Texts