Anan Yassin

“وعلى مائدة الفطور تساءلتُ: هل صحيح أنهم كلهم تافهون أم أن غيابكِ فقط هو الذي يجعلهم يبدون هكذا؟”
― غسان كنفاني, رسائل غسان كنفاني إلى غادة السمان

“I’m not brave any more darling. I’m all broken. They’ve broken me.”
― Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“إن لي قُدرة لم أعرف مثلها في حياتي على تصورك ورؤيتك، وحين أرى منظرًا أو أسمع كلمة وأعلق عليها بيني وبين نفسي أسمع جوابك في أذني، كأنك واقفة إلى جواري ويدك في يدي. أحيانًا أسمعكِ تضحكين وأحيانًا أسمعكِ ترفضين رأيي وأحيانًا تسبقيني إلى التعليق، وأنظر إلى عيون الواقفين أمامي لأرى إن كانوا قد لمحوك معي!”
― غسان كنفاني, رسائل غسان كنفاني إلى غادة السمان

“I had no illusions about you,' he said. 'I knew you were silly and frivolous and empty-headed. But I loved you. I knew that your aims and ideals were vulgar and commonplace. But I loved you. I knew that you were second-rate. But I loved you. It's comic when I think how hard I tried to be amused by the things that amused you and how anxious I was to hide from you that I wasn't ignorant and vulgar and scandal-mongering and stupid. I knew how frightened you were of intelligence and I did everything I could to make you think me as big a fool as the rest of the men you knew. I knew that you'd only married me for convenience. I loved you so much, I didn't care. Most people, as far as I can see, when they're in love with someone and the love isn't returned feel that they have a grievance. They grow angry and bitter. I wasn't like that. I never expected you to love me, I didn't see any reason that you should. I never thought myself very lovable. I was thankful to be allowed to love you and I was enraptured when now and then I thought you were pleased with me or when I noticed in your eyes a gleam of good-humored affection. I tried not to bore you with my love; I knew I couldn't afford to do that and I was always on the lookout for the first sign that you were impatient with my affection. What most husbands expect as a right I was prepared to receive as a favor.”
― W. Somerset Maugham, The Painted Veil