This translation of Nizar Kabbani's poetry is accompanied by the striking Arabic texts of the poems, penned by Kabbani especially for this collection. For instance, his poem Marginal Notes on the Book of Defeat, a stinging self-criticism of Arab inferiority, drew anger from both the right and left sides of the Arab political dialogue. The defeat marked a qualitative shift in Qabbani's work – from erotic love poems to poems with overt political themes of rejectionism and resistance. The 1967 Six-Day War also influenced his poetry and his lament for the Arab cause. The city of Damascus remained a powerful muse in his poetry, most notably in the Jasmine Scent of Damascus. Ajlani liked the poems and endorsed them by writing the preface for Nizar's first book. To make it more acceptable, Qabbani showed it to Munir al-Ajlani, the minister of education who was also a friend of his father and a leading nationalist leader in Syria. It was a collection of romantic verses that made several startling references to a woman's body, sending shock waves throughout the conservative society in Damascus.

While a student in college he wrote his first collection of poems entitled The Brunette Told Me. The relationships between men and women in our society are not healthy.” He is known as one of the most feminist and progressive intellectuals of his time. I want to free the Arab soul, sense and body with my poetry. When asked whether he was a revolutionary, the poet answered: “Love in the Arab world is like a prisoner, and I want to set (it) free.

During her funeral he decided to fight the social conditions he saw as causing her death.

When Qabbani was 15, his sister, who was 25 at the time, committed suicide because she refused to marry a man she did not love. Qabbani is one of the most revered contemporary poets in the Arab world, and is considered to be Syria's National Poet. His poetic style combines simplicity and elegance in exploring themes of love, eroticism, feminism, religion, and Arab nationalism. Nizar Tawfiq Qabbani (Arabic Profile: نزار قباني‎) was a Syrian diplomat, poet and publisher.

Arabian love poems pdf