Poems That Prove Ancient Arabs Were The Best Valentines Ever

Arabs make up some of the world’s greatest love poets. I mean, it makes sense because almost 70% of Arabic poetry centres itself around the concept of love. From the ancient tale of Layla and Majnun to the modern verse of Nizar Qabbani, love poems have always held a special place in the hearts of the Arabs. No nation in the world has shown more enthusiasm and admiration for literary expression as the Arabs.

So why not send an Arabic poem this Valentine’s Day (يوم الحب, Yawm Al 7ub, Day of Love)?

Have a look at some of these below:

“I hadn’t told them about you.”

The great poet Nizar Qabbani (1923-1998) could make you fall in love with the power of words. Nizar was born in Damascus, Syria and was one of the most popular Arabic-language poets of the twentieth century, well-known for his focus on love. The suicide of his older sister, Wissal Qabbani, was also one of the reasons for the many love poems that Nizar wrote. Wissal couldn’t marry the man she loved, so she decided that life had no point for her.

2. “In spite of the tribe.”

3. “Die on my chest.”

4. “I forget about the sky”

5. “Because my love for you…”

6. “Do you love me?”

Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi or simply known as Rumi was a 13th-century Persian Muslim poet. Today he’s the best-selling poet in the United States because of his universal message. Trying to remind all, that despite our differences, we were created by a single God, of whom our spiritual connectedness with him, will affect our unilateral vision of each other, allowing us to accept each other despite the differences.

According to him, in order for one to see the world’s beauty, one got to be beautiful from inside first. For him, the beauty we see in the world is the mirror of our souls. Whoever holds peace within himself, will see beauty in every corner on earth, and whoever holds malignity and grudges within himself, will see nothing but evil in every place he sets his eyes on.

7. “Which is more important?’

Khalil Jibran (January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931) was a Lebanese writer and poet. Khalil’s works, written in both Arabic and English, are full of lyrical outpourings and express his deeply religious and mystical nature. The Prophet (1923), a book of poetic essays, achieved cult status among American youth for several generations.