Ameen Rihani – from A Chant of Mystics and Other Poems
Ameen Rihani was an emigré Lebanese poet who wrote in English and Arabic. Like Kahlil Gibran and May Ziadeh, who were well known to him …
Arabic Literature
Desdemona’s Tears rain down for another than she
In recent times, I have been working both on translating May Ziadeh’s poetry and publication of Cinthio’s Desdemona: The Story that Inspired Othello. With both …
May Zaideh’s poignant country lost and found
Of the many cruelties of colonialism, one of the worst was the dissection of colonial possessions as colonialism came to an end. That dissection left …
Kahlil Gibran: Love is a spirit and you its essence
Kahlil Gibran has written much on the theme of love. Below are two new English translations of his poems Love is a spirit and you …
From Darkness and Light – May Ziadeh’s astonishing Eyes
May Ziadeh was a platonic and distant love of Kahlil Gibran. Such an inadequate way to remember her. More importantly, as poet, she is his …
Darkness and Light: May Ziadeh and the Child’s Destiny
May Ziadeh’s poetry is evocative and striking. Her poem “The Child and I” is a notable example, and has a particular poignancy. The poem, which …
Kahlil Gibran’s On Love From the Prophet
From Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet: On Love Dal Profeta di Kahlil Gibran: Sull’amore Then said Almitra, Speak to us of Love. And he raised his …
Words take flight: for Kahlil Gibran and May Ziadeh
This poem is dedicated to Kahlil Gibran and May Ziadeh. Both their lives ended tragically. They each possessed a remarkable freedom which allowed them to …
Pity the nation – from the Prophet of Kahlil Gibran
This is a second article on the poetry of Kahlil Gibran. In the first article I translated Gibran’s Arabic poem “The Night” into English. This …