Nizar Qabbani

He is my favorite of all times, he is the Neruda of the Arab world, talking of love and justice at the same time...
Just a few poem here, from a rainy summer in Montreal...


Light Is More Important Than The Lantern


Light is more important than the lantern,
The poem more important than the notebook,
And the kiss more important than the lips.
My letters to you
Are greater and more important than both of us.
The are the only documents
Where people will discover
Your beauty,
and my madness.



Every Time I Kiss You


Every time I kiss you
After a long separation
I feel
I am putting a hurried love letter
In a red mailbox.


Jerusalem


I wept until my tears were dry
I prayed until the candles flickered
I knelt until the floor creaked
I asked about Mohammed and Christ

Jerusalem, beloved city of mine,
tomorrow your lemon trees will bloom,
your green stalks and branches rise up joyful,
and your eyes will laugh. Migrant pigeons
will return to your holy roofs
and children will go back to playing.
Parents and children will meet
on your shining streets,
my city, city of olives and peace.