And a Belated Valentine’s Day to You

Every breeze that blows

brings your scent to me;

Every bird that sings

calls out your name to me;

Every dream that appears

brings your face to me;

Every glance at your face

has left its trace with me.

I am yours, I am yours,

whether near or far;

Your grief is mine, all mine,

wherever you are.

The Private Library has been discussing (foundational) Arabic literature for a while now.  Bad on me not to have mentioned it.

Yesterday, the blog piqued my interest by noting that Nizami’s Leyli and Majnun, excerpted briefly above, may have been the inspiration for our most famous star-crossed lovers, R and J. Ultimately, I’m not sure what difference this makes, but it is interesting to suppose how Arabic and English literatures might have twined and fed one another from a very early stage.  Or, rather, this scenario supposes Arabic literature feeding the English, as with ibn Tufail’s Hayy ibn Yaqdhan, which was possibly an inspiration for Robinson Crusoe.