Poems
1993
- translations into english
- qabbani, nizar
- arabic poetry
- qabbåanåi, nizåar
- poetry
- poetry (poetic works by one author)
The story
"Nizar 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." "Frangieh and Brown's elegant translations are accompanied by the striking Arabic texts of the poems, penned by Kabbani especially for this collection."--BOOK JACKET. "Nizar 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." "Frangieh and Brown's elegant translations are accompanied by the striking Arabic texts of the poems, penned by Kabbani especially for this collection."--Jacket.
What it’s like
Direct, unfussy lines set beside the Arabic original on facing pages, the English carrying the everyday phrasing and a quiet musical lilt that reads aloud easily. The voice is intimate and conversational, addressing a beloved, a city, a reader, with tenderness that turns sharp when the poems turn to dictators, censorship and the cost of living without freedom. Tone shifts between sensual warmth around desire and the female body, wry flirtation, and restrained political anger, so the mood moves in waves rather than staying in one register. Short poems and brisk stanzas make it easy to dip into, a few at a time, with a cup of tea on a slow afternoon or late at night when a single verse is enough. The intensity is low: no violence on the page, sexuality expressed through romantic and bodily imagery rather than explicit description, and political criticism delivered with defiance rather than horror. It suits readers who want love poetry with a conscience, anyone curious about modern Arabic verse, and those who enjoy reading bilingually and hearing a poem's rhythm in two languages.
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