Firose > Firose's Quotes

“In the summer
I stretch out on the shore
And think of you. Had I told the sea
What I felt for you,
It would have left its shores,
Its shells,
Its fish,
And followed me.”
― Nizar Qabbani

“Our shouting is louder than our actions,
Our swords are taller than us,
This is our tragedy.
In short
We wear the cape of civilisation
But our souls live in the stone age”
― Nizar Qabbani

“Oh Jerusalem, the city of sorrow
A big tear wandering in the eye
Who will halt the aggression?
On you, the pearl of religions?
Who will wash your bloody walls?
Who will safeguard the Bible?
Who will rescue the Quran?
Who will save Christ,
From those who have killed Christ?
Who will save man?

يا قدسُ، يا مدينةَ الأحزان
يا دمعةً كبيرةً تجولُ في الأجفان
من يوقفُ العدوان؟
عليكِ، يا لؤلؤةَ الأديان
من يغسل الدماءَ عن حجارةِ الجدران؟
من ينقذُ الإنجيل؟
من ينقذُ القرآن؟
من ينقذُ المسيحَ ممن قتلوا المسيح؟
من ينقذُ الإنسان؟”
― Nizar Qabbani

“Because my love for you is beyond words, I decided to shut up.”
― Nizar Qabbani

“The most dangerous heart disease:
strong memory”
― Nizar Qabbani

“My lover asks me:
“What is the difference between me and the sky?”
The difference, my love,
Is that when you laugh,
I forget about the sky”
― Nizar Qabbani

“And I Decided (From Arabic)

And I decided to go
Round the world on freedom's bicycle
By ways illegal
As the travels of wind.
When asked for my address
I give the address of all sidewalks
I chose as permanent residence.
When asked for my papers,
I show them your eyes
And am allowed to pass
For they know that travel in the cities of your eyes, my dear,
Is the right of all world citizens.

وقررت
نزار قباني

وقررت
أن أطوفَ العالمَ على درّاجة الحرِّية..
وبنفسِ الطريقةِ غيرِ الشرعيِّة
التي تستعملها الريح عندما تسافر..
وإذا سأَلوني
عن عُنواني
أعطيتُهم عنوانَ كلِّ الأرصِفة
التي اخترتها مكاناً دائماً لإقامتي.
وإذا سألوني عن أوراقي
أريتُهُم عينيكِ، يا حبيبتي..
فَتَرَكوني أمرّ..
لأنهم يعرفونَ أنَّ السفر في مدائن عينيكِ..
من حق جميع المواطينَ في العالم”
― Nizar Qabbani

“never believe a man can change a woman
those men are pretenders
who think
that they created women
from one of their ribs”
― Nizar Qabbani

“أدمنت احزاني
فصرت اخاف ان لا احزنا
I got addicted to my sorrows,
Until I have gotten scared of not being sorrowed.

وطعنت آلافا من المرات
حتى صار يوجعني بان لا اطعنا
And I was stabbed thousands of times,
Until it felt painful not to be stabbed.

ولعنت في كل اللغات
حتى صار يقلقني بان لا العنا
And I was cursed in all the languages,
Until I started being nervous of not being cursed.

ولقد تشابهت كل البلاد
فلا ارى نفسي هناك، ولا ارى نفسي هنا
And all the countries seemed the same,
That I don't see myself there, And I don't see myself here.”
― Nizar Qabbani

“Light is more important than the lantern,
The poem more important than the notebook”
― Nizar Qabbani

“Had I told the sea
What I felt for you,
It would have left its shores,
Its shells,
Its fish,
And followed me.”
― Nizar Qabbani

“keep silent . .
the most beautiful voice ,
is the talk of your hand
on the table.

قليل من الصمت . . ياجاهلة
فأجمل من كل هذا الحديث
حديث يديك
على الطاولة”
― Nizar Qabbani, Arabian Love Poems: Full Arabic and English Texts

“Don’t love deeply, till you make sure that the other part loves you with the same depth, because the depth of your love today, is the depth of your wound tomorrow.”
― Nizar Qabbani

“The female doesn’t want a rich man or a handsome man or even a poet, she wants a man who understands her eyes if she gets sad, and points to his chest and say : 'Here is your home country.”
― Nizar Qabbani

“When a man is in love
how can he use old words?
Should a woman
desiring her lover
lie down with
grammarians and linguists?

I said nothing
to the woman I loved
but gathered
love's adjectives into a suitcase
and fled from all languages.”
― Nizar Qabbani

“Life doesn't stop after losing someone, but it goes on without them differently.”
― Nizar Qabbani

“And I fear that my place gets taken by some other one, very lucky and not too shy, who flirts with your eyes while I’m the one who’s crazy about them.”
― Nizar Qabbani

“Your love taught me to grieve
and I have been needing, for centuries
a woman to make me grieve
for a woman, to cry upon her arms
like a sparrow
for a woman to gather my pieces
like shards of broken crystal”
― Nizar Qabbani

“Days will pass, and you’ll abandon things you were addicted to, and leave someone, and cancel a dream, and finally, accept a reality.”
― Nizar Qabbani

“He who fights the destinies to stay with you,
He who finds his life better beside you, and clings to you despite of all the events,
He who hates your sadness, and tires himself to put a smile on your face,
He who cries when you’re away before smiling when you’re here,
But God didn’t decide that you’d stay with them despite of all this strugle,
Is the only one who deserves immortality in your memory.”
― Nizar Qabbani

“When I wiped you from the book of memory, I did not know I was striking out half my life”
― Nizar Qabbani

“Some are like the Moon, good looking, but only when they're away from you.”
― Nizar Qabbani

“I gave you my whole when I could only give the quarter. And you kept your half from me when you could give your double.”
― Nizar Qabbani

“Had I told the sea what I felt for you, it would have left its shores, its shells, its fish, and followed me.
— Nizar Qabbani”
― Nizar Qabbani

“screen filled with symbols, only this time it was Arabic letters that meant nothing to him. He assumed they meant nothing to Raj as well, and was therefore surprised when Raj pointed out a short sequence. “This is the word for ‘person’ or ‘human being’.” Daniel stared at Raj. “You know Arabic?” “No, not really. I have read Nizar Qabbani in translation, and this word is a particularly beautiful shape, is it not?” “Still waters run deep, Raj. So you read Arabic love poetry. I wouldn’t have ever guessed.” Raj blushed. “Sushma is more woman than I can handle without help,” he admitted. “Qabbani writes more than just love poetry. It is quite erotic.”
― J.C. Ryan, The 10th Cycle