Love

Whenever we meet to take farewell thou wouldst deem us

by Ibn al-Arabi 1165–1240

Translated by Reynold A. Nicholson (1911) · From The Tarjuman al-Ashwaq (Nicholson, 1911)

Love

Whenever we meet to take farewell thou wouldst deem us, as we clasp and embrace, to be a doubled letter.
Although our bodies are dual, the eye sees only a single one.
This is because of my leanness and his light, and were it not for my moaning, I should have been invisible to the eye.

✦ ✦ ✦

Tarjuman al-Ashwaq, poem 53

MLA

al-Arabi, Ibn. “Whenever we meet to take farewell thou wouldst deem us.” Translated by Reynold A. Nicholson. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/ibn-arabi/52/.

Chicago

al-Arabi, Ibn. “Whenever we meet to take farewell thou wouldst deem us.” Translated by Reynold A. Nicholson. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/ibn-arabi/52/.

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