Arif Khudairi's Poetry Blog: 2009

An anthology that will definitely take its place among the works of the great love poets

by Professor S.R. Siddiqui, Karachi,Pakistan

Arif Khudairi is not only a poet, but a Philosopher-Poet. He is a learned and well-read scholar. He studied widely and at last he stands in the long line of the well-known poets of the east, starting from Hafiz,Omar khayyam, Rumi and ending at Iqbal.

The metaphysical philosophy of these great poets of the east is not a simple one. It is nevertheless one of the greatest philosophies of all mankind. The theme of that metaphysical theory, very simply, is that the whole Universe, with each and every thing therein, is a reflection of the Magnanimity of its Master. It is only a shadow of its Creator and a mirror in which the beauty of the Supreme Authority can be seen. Man’s role in the Universe is pivotal in so far as he finds himself endlessly inspired to praise the beauty and magnificence he sees in such abundance around him. He looks in wonder at the beauty of the stars in the night and the beauty of flowers in the garden and he is compelled to praise them. Nevertheless, when he praises the beauty around him, he is in fact praising its Creator.

Arif Khudairi is a skilful artist. He is rendering that metaphysical theory in his poems. He is transferring that eastern thought to the west. He has such a marvelous command over the subject that one cannot easily perceive the theme lying beneath his poetry unless one takes time to grasp its real meaning.

He expressed himself fully in his poem “You Live Within Me”. It is a superb poem and a masterpiece of its kind. It resounds like the words of the great eastern mystic poets such as Hafiz and Rumi. They always express the thought that the whole Universe and everything therein is like a shadow or a mirror of the Magnificence of the Creator and, as man has a unique existence within it, he always seeks His pleasure and loves Him to the core of his heart. Khudairi says: “ In spite/ Of the rivers/ Of the seas/ Of the oceans/ That separate the two of us/ You still live/ Within me.” He feels the love of his Creator in his heart, mind and soul. This divine love goes on and runs deep within him: “ You continue/ To run/ In my blood.”

Each and everything in this world has no real existence. It is a temporary and borrowed existence that will soon perish. The life of man in this world has no reality. It is deceptive and flows through time. Khudairi says: “ Life is/ A dream/ Only a day/ Or two/ We come here/ One day/ And one day/ We go/ We know not/ Why we come/ Nor why/ We leave.”

Love, however,which is the most precious and the most beautiful feeling in the world, does not fade away like other mortal things. It is as old as this world and it shall remain forever. The poet says: “ My love/ For you/ Is as old/ As the sun/ As the stars/ And the moon/ It has been/ Always there/ Like the heavens/ And the earth/ It has been/ Always flowing/ Like the river/ And the sea.”

This tender and aesthetic feeling in man remains hidden in one’s own self and suddenly appears without prior notice. Let us hear from the poet: “No one had/ Told me/ Anything/ About love/ At the time/ I was young/ Love to me/ Was a true/ Tender feeling/ As beautiful/ As a dream.”

Arif Khudairi’s Love Poems is indeed a marvelous collection. Its profound and lively poems arouse the aesthetic sense within its reader. The melody of the poetry is high and the construction is precise. It is an anthology that will definitely take its place among the works of the great love poets.

Nsemia INC. Publishers announces the publication of Love Poems of Arif Khudairi:

Love Poems of Arif Khudairi is a collection of 40 poems of love crafted with an adept and scholarly hand combining imaginative force with acute poetic sensibility. The poems of this anthology capture the love story in a new and fascinating poetic form. The poet, Arif Khudairi, excels at both nocturne and aubade, and his employment of metaphor and simile is direct, uncontrived and vivifying. He exhibits an astonishing mastery of pure light and shade, conveying the emotional anfechtungen of the 'voice' with remarkable ability. The collection is both compelling and absorbing. It engages the sensorial with superb exploitation of atmospheric effect and fallacy. This original poetic work, with its admirable, artistic qualities, will clearly touch the reader in a pleasurable manner.

What others say :

"Love Poems of Arif Khudairi is a victory for lyricism. The musicality is astounding, the cadence is almost like ballet, and the tension of its metaphors and imagery is classic. Even if you're not the poetic type, you will definitely enjoy reading this or listening to it being read to you." - Charles Phebih Agyekum, Author & Editor

"Through the pages of this magical, mystical wonderland, we are allowed to watch and experience feelings be they gentle, stunning, thought provoking, poignant...the merry and misery go rounds of love." - Sylvia Lukeman, President, Poets Who Care, Liverpool, England.

"Arif Khudairi's Love Poems is indeed a marvelous collection. Its profound and lively poems arouse the aesthetic sense within its reader. The melody of the poetry is high and the construction is precise. It is an anthology that will definitely take its place among the works of the great love poets." - Prof S.R. Siddiqui, IIU, Pakistan.

Arif Khudairi’s Works As viewed by International Scholars:

(1) In his foreword to the applicant book “The Arabs and The Art of Translation” Syrian Professor Zaidan A Jassem of the International Islamic University, Malaysia, says:“…This book is long overdue. It sets the Arabic translation in perspective, showing the contributions of Arabic Translators to the development of the field of Translation Science and Art, which is either ignored, unheard of or neglected by historians and scholars of translation, most of whom write about and introduce Western Theory and practice. The book is very interesting to read and is thought provoking. While I wish to commend the author on his superb book, I would like to kindly ask him to keep unearthing the Arabic translation treasures in future works, which I am sure, readers will find stimulating and enjoyable…”

(2) In his foreword to this book, Pengiran Dato Seri Dr Haji Mohammad bin Pengiran Haji Abd Rahman says that” in his book, Dr Arif Karkhi Abukhudairi gives us an interesting account of his efforts in translating several works into his Arabic language. Thus I welcome this valuable book and congratulate the author on his great accomplishment.”

(3) On the applicant researches accomplishments, Egyptian Professor ,critic and novelist A.S Mustafa of Cairo University states: “Dr Arif Karkhi Abukhudairi is an established scholar. His book, Drills in Arabic Writing, investigates a significant linguistic issue which makes this book an important work in reading and learning Arabic. His series, The Introduction to the Arabic Language, crystallizes his profound experience in teaching Arabic in Brunei Darussalam. His major academic works ‘Teaching Arabic to Non-Arabs: A Study on Curriculum and Methods’ and ‘Arabic: Selected Essays’ are significant contributions to the Arabic studies as they are scholarly and beautifully researched and written. His paper Riddles in Language Teaching, for instance, is an original work.

Dr Arif’s researches show him as a skillful scholar, a unique, talented researcher with a wide scope of knowledge, and a clear mastery of modern theories and methodologies. He is also very creative. His translations and his works on teaching Arabic to Malays are both creative and unique in the field of comparative studies.”

(4) In a review about the applicant book”Shukri Zain :Pioneer of Modern Islamic Poetry in Brunei Darussalam” Malysian Professor Dr Mahayudin Haji Yahya remarks:” Buku Shukri Zain merupakan karya berbentuk”Biografi Sastera” yang disusun dan diolah dengan begitu rupa oleh penulisnya sehingga menjadi sebuah buku sastera yang boleh dijadikkan sebuah bahan rujukan dalam bidang sastera Melayu-Islam Moden.Kerja mengumpul,menyusun,menulis dan menterjemah buku bukanlah suatu tugas mudah,ia memerlukan kemahiran bahasa yang tinggi,ilmu pengetahuan sastera yang mendalam,serta tenaga yang mencukupi.Jika sekiranya Shukri Zain dianggap sebagai”Pelopor Puisi Islam Moden” ,maka Dr Arif Karkhi Abukhudairi pula bolehlah disifatkan sebagi “ Perintis Terjemahan Melayu-Arab Melayu Moden.”

(5)In another review about the same book Badaruddin H.O.,a Bruneian poet and critic states that” Buku yang ditulis oleh Dr Arif Karkhi Abukhudairi mengenai penyair Skukri Zain dengan mengemukakannya sebagai pelopor syair Islam di Brunei Darussalam sagatlah dialualukan.Ianya suatu usaha besar,walau pun mungkin baru sebagai usaha mengenal karya sastera bernafaskan Islam dari Brunei.Tambahan pula usaha ini dari luar negeri yang memperkenalkan karya sastera Brunei kepada kalangan budaya dan sastera di Mesir.Dalam buku yang megetegahkannya sebagai pelopor puisi Islam ini Dr Arif telah berhasil baik menyoroti karya Shukri Zain dari sudut-sudut seni sastera khasnya puisi. Tentulah pembaca di Nusantara dan di luarnya akan terdorong untuk menjejak lebih jauh keujudan puisi Islam atau yang bernafaskan Islam hasil karya penyair-penyair yang terdahulu dan yang sezaman dengan Shukri Zain.Kita mengucapkan tahniah kepada penulis dan penyusun buku ini yang dengan gigih mengikuti kemudian memahami dan sekaligus menikmati karya sastera Brunei sehingga telah mendorongkannya memperkenalkan keujudan sasterawan Islam di Brunei kepada dunia luar.”

(6) In a review of Tales From the Arabian Sahara: The Trip and Other Stories , Jonathan Grimes ,a British critic says, “As with his beautiful, quietist poetry collection, "Trees Leaves", Mr Khudairi here demonstrates a keen sense of beauty-in-istigkeit, in the this-ness of the desert, the sanguine warmth of human contact, and the existential commonplaces which, in truth, are never commonplace as before, and come to one continually, as Chesterton once happily described it, as if God were a delighted child raising the dawn each day for the sheer undiluted joy of "doing it again". The author here marries this natural percipience of wonderment to an equally keen sense of comedy and horror: the result is a superb transcription of the little-known Arabic folk tales. "The Reward" - a strangely familiar folk tale which will strike a chilling chord with those who read it, while the others delineate a fabulous backdrop of scheming bedouins, honour and blood-soaked princes, and women of strength and autonomy, a pleasant catholicon to the traditional Western perspective which has too often viewed Eastern women as pitiable, oppressed ciphers. Khudairi, a Professor of Arabic Studies, is as informed a scholar of these matters as can be imagined - comparisons can be made with Miguel Orio's passionate advocacy of Maoritanga - and it is to be hoped that he will continue his role as de facto custodian of the folk tale re-interpreted and written anew for many years to come.”

(7) In a review of The Abode of Peace, the Malaysian Professor Dato’ Dr Hashim Awang asserts that” Dr Arif Khudairi is a well-known bilingual scholar-poet. His new anthology is considered to be very interesting anthology in terms of theme and structure of the poems. Its main theme the author has focused on is ‘peace’ an important issue to be seriously highlighted or discussed, especially in this particular era of globalization .The author has chosen appropriate form of poem to effectively convey his important messages. He creates two different forms which can easily be called short-form and prose-form poem .What makes his poems look beautiful and interesting is that the author just gives the ‘story’ and the readers themselves have to think and reveal the meaning behind it. This shows that professor Mahir Shafiq Farid ,Professor of English at Cairo University, whohas commented on these short poems written by Dr Arif Khudairi is very true when he says that they are ”incisive ,ironic and witty.” This new literary work of Dr. Arif Khudairi is very delightful to be read. The readers can experience the enjoyment as well can gain some benefit from it.”

(8) In an introduction to The Rubaiyat of Arif Khudairi, Pofessor Mahir Shafiq Farid says that” Khudairi as pointed out by several commentators on his work, is a man with a deep religious sense. In his world, barriers between body and soul come down. His poems offer a fresh perspective on man’s relation to God. This he achieves not through flat assertion or discursive argumentation but through a passionate grasp of personal experience. A true Muslim, Khudairi does not blame man’s defects on destiny. Given the importance attached by Islam to man’s responsibility and free will, the doctrine of Predestination has never really taken root in Arabic culture. One does not read far into this slim volume of 100 pages before one realizes that Khudairi is a master of his craft. There is no cleavage in his work between emotion and thought. With a through grounding in two cultures, he has managed to fuse what is best in both.

These short poems-incisive, ironic and witty-are a record of his own inmost experience. But they are not out of touch with some major current of thought of our- and of all times.”

(9) In a review of the same anthology, American poet, Cyndy Shubert-jett, says, Rubaiyat!The very name brings to mind images of Arabian Nights, magic carpets and mystical adventures, sensual nights and romantic encounters, a deep appreciation of beauty within the world around us, and an acknowledgement of shared emotions touching each of us, soul to soul! Step into the world of Arif Khudairi, share the beauty and romance of his world. It has been my pleasure to share these journeyings through the world of Arif Khudairi. Please, sit in his tent, listen to the desert winds whisper of those other times and places that still captivate our hearts!”

(10) In this introduction to “Love Poems”, Professor Dr S.R. Siddiqui, a Pakistani critic states that “ Arif Khudairi is not only a poet, but a Philosopher-Poet. He is a learned and well- read scholar. He studied widely and at last he stands in the long line of the well-known poets of the east, starting from Hafiz,Umar khayyam, Rumi and ending at Iqbal.

Arif Khudairi’s Love Poems is indeed a marvelous collection. Its profound and lively poems arouse the aesthetic sense within its reader. The melody of the poetry is high and the construction is precise. It is an anthology that will definitely take its place among the works of the great love poets.

What Poetry Means to Me

by Arif Khudairi

Some people still view poetry as metrical writing consisting of meaning, sound, rhythm and rhyme and thus they merely focus on its form, although poetry is beyond meters, beyond rhythm, beyond rhyme. Poetry is a genuine feeling poured down in words marked with artistry and grace, a combination of painting and music made out of love for the Divine, the universe and mankind.

Poetry to me is neither an expression of the poet's personality as assumed by Wordsworth, nor an escape of it as perceived by Eliot. It is, as I see it, a process of exploring the true identity of man, a discovery of life, and a search to trace the spirit of humanity and the essence of the universe.

Poetry is power originated from uniquely combined elements, namely its sentiment, language, symbols and melody. Such power has a profound influence on people's hearts and minds. With this power, poetry inspires mankind to change themselves, their conditions and their entire world.

Poetry helps us to become less vain and more humble. It protects us from being deluded by science and technology, brings us closer to our hearts, makes us to discover the essential nature of life, and explore the message of man as an agent of God on this earth.

Poetry is a form of art, a creative production, not a wonder land that we escape to, or a luxury that we indulge in to amuse ourselves, but a tool to beautify our life and to confront the problems and difficulties that we face such as wars, violence, and disintegration. It helps us to reach God, and to reach out to others. In addition, it shows us the way to the world that we hope to live in, and leads us to beauty, goodness and truth.

We, human beings, do not live in bodies only, but we live in bodies and souls. We need poetry to nourish our souls, and cure ourselves from sorrows and pains always. Today, we need poetry in particular, and art in general, more than ever as our modern world suffers from serious social problems including poverty, materialism, selfishness, hostility and wars. That is why I believe that poetry has its place today, and it will definitely remain forever.

Sunday, 9 August 2009

What Did You Do

What did you do
To your eyes,sweetheart?
For they speak so eloquently
To my eyes,
With no words,
With no language,
With no tongue.
What did you do
To your eyes,sweetheart?
What did you do
To them?

What did you do
To your lips,sweetheart?
For they beam
As sun
At daytime,
And as moon
At night.
What did you do
To your lips,sweetheart?
What did you do
To them?

What did you do
To your hair,sweetheart?
For it tied me down
To your elegant,
Magical tree,
And I cannot leave
From your side.
What did you do
To your hair,sweetheart?
What did you do
To it?

What did you do
To your eyes,sweetheart,
To your lips,
To your hair?
What did you do
To them,
And to me?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Song And The Singer

I am the singer, and you are the song.
People care for the song,not the singer.
One day, the singer will be here no more,
Whereas you will live now and forever.

Saturday, 25 July 2009

You Ask

You ask,now and then,what did I like first:
The moon,the blooms,my songs,or your eyes?
You ask,sweetheart,as though you do not know
It is you,no one else,whom I love best.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright (all rights reserved)

All I Want

I wish not to be a king like Nu'man,
Or like Saladin,or Tut 'ankamun,
Or as rich as Rashid,or Solomon.
All I want is your love,not wealth,not throne.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

You Ask

The Way It Should Be

If you love me too as I love you,
Everything will be the way it should be.
You will be more beautiful than the moon,
And I will write real love poetry.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Habibi

I sear by l,o,v,e,habibi,
I swear by your eyes,and by your lips,
I swear by the sun,I swear by the moon,
I love you more than the sky and the sea.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

I Say It To The Rivers

I love you.I say it to the rivers,
To the trees,to the sun,to the heavens.
I love you.Don't you feel it deep within
Your heart and your soul,in your wake and dream?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

So Many Reasons

Why do I love you? So many reasons,
Sweetheart,but life is too short to count them.
Let me tell you only one,adored one.
I love you for you are all the women.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

How Could I Forget You

Forget you ?
How could I forget you,sweetheart,
If you are already painted
Within my eyes,
Like a queen,
And planted in my heart
Like a sacred lotus tree ?

Forget you ?
How could I forget you,sweetheart,
If your smile beams within
The rays of the sun,
And your voice flows above
The murmurs of the rivers,
And the whispers of the seas ?

Forget you ?
How could I forget you,sweetheart,
If I pronounce your name
When I speak
To the girls,
To the bulbuls,
To the trees ?

Forget you ?
How could I forget you,sweetheart,
If your face is painted in my memory
Like a tattoo,
And your love,
Runs like the river Nile
Within my heart,and my soul ?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Lucky

When girls read my poems about you,they
Sigh and say,how lucky you are ! But when
They see your eyes,they say how lucky
I am ! How lucky my poetry is !

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Poetry

Poetry is a fancy,
A reverie,
A portrait of a child
Playing with sounds,
And colors,
In rapture,
And wonder,
A ray of smile
Of a maiden
Dreaming
In her chamber
Whose heart is blooming
As a flower,
In the Garden
Of Eden,
A mirror of a soul,
As white and pure
As the color of swan,
And the breath of dawn.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

As Usual

As usual,I sit here in the tavern
And in my hand an empty cup of wine.
Oh saki,do not you remember me ?
Come,come,fill the cup with wine made of sun.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

We Sing For Peace

We are,you and I,true and free poets.
We are the hearts,we are the conscience,
The souls of all nations,of all peoples.
Therefore,we sing for love,beauty and peace.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

You Are My Beloved

People in my city,sweetheart,
Describe you differently.
Women say that you are an angel
From paradise.
But men assert that you are a princess
From Cordova in Spain.
Whereas children aver that you are a mermaid
From the magic western seas.
And I think they all are right.
For you are all of this.
You are an angel,
A princess,
A mermaid.
But more importantly
You are my beloved,
And I am honored and thrilled
That I write my love poems for you.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Drink Your Tea

May I pour some tea for you ?
I remember you used to like it.
No sugar ?
Yea,sure.
What do you need sugar for ?
Your lips are a bunch of grapes,
And a lake of honey.
Did I mention you look pretty ?
Drink your tea.
Drink your tea.
For the tea and the cup,
Altogether,
Long for
The scent of your breath,
And a touch of your hands,
And a kiss from your lips.
As for me,I cannot
Drink it
Without sugar.
Without you,
I need sugar.
Everything tastes bitter,
In my lips,
And my tongue,
Even peaches and sweets.
Did I mention your eyes
Are so sweet like wine ?
I missed them.I missed you.
How have you been ?
Are you seeing now some one?
Did I mention I still love you ?
Maybe you already sensed it.
You saw it in my face when we met.
And my eyes and my hands
Revealed itIn many tongues:
In Chinese,
In Korean,
In Russian,
In French.
Did they say it
In Dutch ?
Maybe,maybe.
Drink your tea.
Drink your tea.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

What Did You Do

What did you do
To your eyes,sweetheart?
For they speak so eloquently
To my eyes,
With no words,
With no language,
With no tongue.
What did you do
To your eyes,sweetheart?
What did you do

To them?
What did you do
To your lips,sweetheart?
For they beam
As sun
At daytime,
And as moon
At night.
What did you do
To your lips,sweetheart?
What did you do
To them?

What did you do
To your hair,sweetheart?
For it tied me down
To your elegant,
Magical tree,
And I cannot leave
From your side.
What did you do
To your hair,sweetheart?
What did you do
To it?

What did you do
To your eyes,sweetheart,
To your lips,
To your hair?
What did you do
To them,
And to me?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

A Woman Like You

I admit,sweetheart,
I admit I have never
Seen a woman like you,
Even in my dreams,
I have never seen
Moon beams at day,
Or sun shines at night,
I have never seen wine
As green as paradise
In the lakes of eyes
As wide as the skies,
Or sunrise with a smile
Within the lips of tulips,
I have never seen flowers
Like coral grow elegantly
On cheeks as soft as plums,
Or grapes and oranges
Look charmingly on the chest
Of a houri from Eden,
I have never seen waterfall
As a fountain of kohl,
In the midst of night,
Or soft dreamy rivers
Of spikes at dawn,
I have never seen flowers
Sing sweetly as sparrows,
Or sparrows that whirl
So gently as flowers,
How could I expect
To see all these wonders
In one woman like you ?
I admit,sweetheart,
I admit,I admit
I have never ever seen
A woman like you,
Even in my dreams.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Two Days

Two days life is,two days,no more,no less.
One day we spend waiting for what to come.
One day we spend regretting what was gone.
Between them,there are less gain and more loss.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Freedom In Love

Like the birds,love needs freedom and fresh air.
You and I are beloved and lover,
But you live your life,likewise,I live mine.
We are free like the birds and the rivers.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

No Complaint

After all my flights in the western skies,
And all my sails upon the eastern seas,
I have no complaint,for I enjoyed
All my life,the good years and the bad years.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Friday, 24 July 2009

The Life Of My Life

You are everything in my life,sweetheart,
You are everything,everything.
You are my love,my joy,my delight,
My hope,my dream,my pride.
When you leave from my eyes,
My days become nights,
My laughter turn cries,
All the fruits taste sour,
And the sun disappears from the skies.
But when you come to my garden,like breeze
And my eyes see your face,like moon,
You brighten my nights,
With the smile on your lips,
And the charm in your eyes,
The thorns turn flowers,
And autumn becomes spring,
For you are my love,my joy,my delight,
You are my hope,my dream,my pride.
You are the life of my life,
You are everything,sweetheart,
You are everything,everything.
You turn my life
To a river of rapture,
To a dream of ecstasy,
To a pure paradise.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Your Sweet Wine

O Saki,tell me,tell me,what does make,
Your wine tonight so sweet,grapevine,raindrops,
Your eyes,your lips,your cheeks,or your songs ?
Tell me,saki,why your wine is so sweet ?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Only Tonight

Yesterday ? Why to remind me of tears ?
Tomorrow ? Why to talk to me of fears ?
Speak of the night that we spend now together.
Drink,drink,for the moon will soon disappear.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Smiling Back

Your eyes are two lakes of charm.
Let me swim in their wine.
Your heart is a white lotus flower.
Let me enhale its fragrance.
Let me touch your heart,
Let me embrace your eyes.
Let me live with you,love,
For the rest of my life.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Scent And The Color

Love the scent,not the color of flowers.
Read books for their content,not the cover.
Praise the clouds for the rain,not the rivers.
Judge men by hearts,not race or color.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Lover And The Beloved

What did your eyes possibly say to my eyes?
Beloved,what did they say when they met?
What did they possibly say?
For then I felt as though I fell
Into a sea of magic,
And melted within it,
Like sugar,
Like snow,
Like a drop of rain.
And since then,
I am no more as before.
I perceive everything through you:
I hear with your ear,
I see with your eyes,
I speak with your tongue.
And like me,
You now are not only a beloved,
But you are the beloved and the lover.
You are not only a cup,
But the cup and the wine.
You are not only a body,
But the body and the soul.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Beyond Reality And Dream

How difficult for me
To paint a picture for you,
Sweetheart,
How difficult it is!
For how can I find
The colors of your eyes,
Or the hues of your lips,
Or the shades of your hair?
How can I find the tints
Of your skin,and where?

How difficult for me
To write a poem about you,
Sweetheart,
How difficult it is!
For how can I find
The words for the melody
Of your voice,
Or the tune of your laughter,
Or the rhythm
Of your steps?
How can I find the music
Of your soul,and where?

How difficult for me
Sweetheart,
To paint or to write!
How difficult to use
The colors,
Or the words,
Or the tunes,
Or the marbles,
Or the gold,
To convey your beauty,
For you are
Beyond all these
Ordinary tools
That men normally use
To describe
Ordinary women,
For you are
Beyond all women
That I have seen
In reality or dream.

Civilized

Ah! I love,so I am now civilized.
Ah! I am loved,hence I am recognized.
How beautiful ! How beautiful love is !
How beautiful to love and to be loved !

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Grape Fruits

In my eyes,life appears as a garden full of blooming groves,and in it,women are flowers and fruits.Many are bitter and scentless like colocynth.A few are bitter with sweet smell like basil.And a fewer are scentless though sweet like dates.But you,sweetheart,are different from all women.For you are both sweet and aromatic like heavenly grape fruits.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The End

We travel at day,we travel at night.
One day in the east,one day in the west.
If we will leave everything in the end,
Why do not we slow down a bit and rest?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Why

Why look down upon your fellow mankind ?
And why walk haughtily upon the ground ?
Be gentle,be kind,treat people with respect.
You will never reach the noon or the cloud.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

One Day Or Two

You make me angry,and I make you too.
You leave me,and I foolishly leave you.
Why do we waste our life in dispute,
If this life is only a day or two?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

My Poems About You

I write my poems about you,sweetheart,
Not to tell you that I love you,for you
Already know how I feel about you,
You already know that,you know that so well.

I write my love poems about you,sweetheart,
Not to tell you that you are beautiful,
More beautiful than the sun and the moon.
For you know all that,you know that so well.

I write my love poems about you,sweetheart,
Not to let people know about my love.
For both heavens and earth know about that,
They already know,they know that so well.

I write my love poems about you,sweetheart,
To praise God for creating you for me
More beautiful than the rose and the dawn,
To thank you for being my love as well.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

A Poet's Dream

Ah,sweetheart!Ah!If I have you with me,
I will conquer the whole world for sure,
I will reach for the sky and pick the stars,
I will make you a necklace of the moon,
I will make you a dress of the dawn,
I will fill your eyes with rays of the sun,
I will pour drops of bliss into your heart,
I will build you a palace of emerald,
I will make you swim in a pool of wine,
I will make you a queen of this world,
I will write you love poems made of gold,
I will make you live a life within life,
Ah,sweetheart!Ah!If I have you with me
,I will possess everything in my hands,
I will be the happiest man for sure,
I will be sultan of lovers and rhyme.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Loving You

If they ask me to choose you or the moon,
And the sun,I would definitely choose you.
If they ask of what I did,what I would,
I would proudly say to them :loving you.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Life Is Only Today

Yesterday is now no more,already gone.
Tomorrow is uncertain,and unknown.
Life is today,what we have,what we see.
Come,come,let us sing and drink the sweet wine.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Nothing More,Nothig Less

Life is but a dream,a short dream life is.
One day we come here,one day we go there.
What we gain from it? What we gain from it ?
Life is a dream,nothing more,nothing less.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Dream

As a child,I dreamed time after time.
I saw mountains and palm-trees behind them.
Later,I saw my dream in my travels.
Is this dream this life?Or this life a dream.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Come For Me

I have been waiting for you,adored one,
Since the nightingales spoke of your sweet tune,
Since the sun talked about your shinning smile,
Since the moon told me of your lovely face.

I have been waiting for you,adored one,
To fill my eyes,my heart,and my soul,
With your love,with your charm,with your elegance,
With your joy,with your magic,with your grace.

I have been waiting for you,adored one,
So that the sun gain his rays from your smile,
The moon obtain her night light from your face,
And the breeze wear its fragrance from your lips.

I have been waiting for you,adored one,
Come for the seas,for the skies,for the moon,
Come for the breeze,for the blooms,for the trees,
Come for the birds,for the streams,and for me.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

I Do Love You

Do I love you?Sweetheart,do you doubt it?
I do love you,sweetheart,and you know it.
You can see it in my eyes,in my lips.
You can feel it in my words,in my songs.

Do I love you?Sweetheart,do you doubt it?
You are always on my mind,day and night.
Like sunshine,you dwell within my eyes.
And like a queen,you reign within my heart.

Do I love you?Sweetheart,do you doubt it?
All women,all birds,all flowers,know it,
Though,words can never express my love.
There is no other love that looks like it.

Do I love you? Sweetheart,do you doubt it?
Yes,yes,I love you,I love you,,sweetheart.
I see you in the flowers,in the trees.
I see you in the rivers,in the seas.

Do I love you?Sweetheart, do you doubt it?
I do love you,sweetheart,and you know it.
You can see it in my eyes,in my lips.
You can feel it in my words,in my songs.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Your Smile

It matters not if the moon sleeps at night,
It matters not if the sun appears not,
It matters not if the stars never shine,
For your smile fill my eyes with your light.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

How Beautiful

How delightful are the stars and the moon!
How beautiful are the bloom and women!
How delicious are the fruit and the wine!
How sweet is life if they only remain!

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Come With Me

Pretty maiden,come,come,
Live with me,
And I will turn your life to paradise,
I will make you smile like dawn,
And laugh like the waves of the Nile,
I will make you bloom like a flower,
And beam like moon,
I will make you sing
Like a nightingale,
And dance like breeze in spring time,
In my arms,
I will Make you feel a real woman,
In my eyes,you will dwell
Like a pearl from Eden,
In my heart,you will remain
Like an angel,like a houri,like a queen.
Pretty maiden,come,come,
Live with me,
And I will turn your life to paradise.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Life

Compared with us,flowers are more wiser,
They smile in summer,and smile in winter,
They sleep not at day and sleep not at night,
For they know life is a short dream no more.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

If You Leave

If You Leave,everything will leave with you:
The nightingales,the sparrows,the doves,
The moon of the sky,the blooms and the streams.
If you leave,what then will be left for me ?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

You Are You

Why you are so dear,so precious to me ?
For you are the sun,for you are the moon.
In your eyes,I see paradise.
Why you are so precious?For you are you.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

I Realy Loved You

Maybe I could not do what I should do,
I was not what you expected from me,
Or I was a bit hard,or not so good,
Maybe,maybe,but I really loved you.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Your Face

When I think of my heart and of the mud
Of which it was made and I think of your face,
And the light of which it was formed,
I would wonder how dare I think of your love ?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Saki

Saki,what have you offered me tonight ?
Are these your eyes or the blue,wide skies ?
Are these your lips or the sweet,red tulips ?
Saki,saki,fill my cup with more wine !

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

River Of Smile

When I look at your hair as long as night,
The lakes of your eyes,the fruit on your breast,
I swim in a river of light white smile.
Yet thinking of death makes me weep in fright.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Flute

How sweet is the sound of the flute tonight!
Sweetheart,how sweet is the sound of the flute!
How Sweet,how sweet!
I admit I never played like this before.
Therefore,I wonder:
Does the flute take its tune from the cheeks
Of the flowers around me ?
Or the light of the moon above my head ?
Or does it reflect the dance
Of the heart within my chest ?
Or perhaps it acquires its sweetness
From your eyes,your cheeks,your lips ?
Or perhaps,or perhaps.
How sweet is the sound of the flute!
Sweetheart,how sweet is the sound of flute!
How sweet,how sweet!

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Singer

It was spring and she was sitting beneath the oak tree in a forest behind my house when we first met.She raised her eyes to my eyes and said that we were destined to meet in that place that day.And when she saw the flute in my hand she said with a smile,'You sing ?'I nodded and thought her voice was as lovely as the lakes of her eyes and far sweeter than music.'Will you sing me a little song ?'She asked and I sang as I never sang before.And I was stunned at seeing the doves,the sparrows and the nightingales sitting around us with eyes as wide as sun flowers.'They came to get a glimpse of your eyes,no doubt,'I said.And soon,every one in her forest began to sing in praise of her loveliness.And when their lovely melody came to an end,I realized that it was time for me to leave.'Do not go!'She said.'Your tone is the song of my soul.'I looked at the skies with grateful eyes,then to her jasmine eyes and smiled.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Short Story

Once upon a time,a man came to life.
Each day,he went to school to read and write.
He strived,he ate,he drank,he woke,he slept.
He married,he had children,then he left.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

If You Love Me

If you love me for my wealth,love me not.
If you love me for my fame,love me not.
If you love me for my looks,love me not.
If you love me for me,love me!love me!

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

We Talked Much

We talked much,my sweetheart,do not you think?
We talked much and your eyes made me drunk.
Your lips,like coral,set fire to my chest.
Lie down by my side before night is done.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Like Rain

Like rain,tears fall down from my eyes,
When my eyes see tears in your eyes,
When your face,like moon,sometimes disappears.
Even in my dreams,tears fall from my eyes.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Without You

How can I live
Without you,sweetheart ?
I cannot,I cannot,
For you are part of me,
And I am part of you,
Like wine and glass of wine,
Like sun and sunshine,
Like moon and moonlight.
How can I live
Without you,sweetheart ?
I cannot,I cannot.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Fame

You made my verse endless,my beloved,
And I made your beauty endless too.
You gave me your love,and thus you made me
Write about my love and your beauty.
People will read these love poems today,
Tomorrow and the day after as well.
They will know that you are my beloved,
And they will talk about your loveliness.
They will know you for me, and me for you.
You made my verse endless,my beloved,
And I made your beauty endless too.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Present

What should I give you as present,sweetheart ?
A golden necklace ? Or tulip flowers ?
Or some perfume ? What should I offer you ?
What should I give you ? What should I give you ?

What should I give you as present,sweetheart ?
What is gold compared to your precious hair ?
What is red tulips compared to your lips ?
What is perfume compared to your sweet cheeks ?

What should I give you as present,sweetheart ?
My heart ? My love ?My life ? My poems ?
But they are already yours,they are yours.
What should I give you as present,sweetheart ?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

If You Love Me

If You Leave

If you leave me,love,I will not stop you.
How can I object or stand in your way ?
Instead,I will try to smile in your face,
Even though my heart will weep unto death.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The True Love

'Look,adored one!' to me said the beloved,
'Do you see the moon up there and the blooms,
And the trees down here laden with sweet fruit ?
Do you see all this beauty around us ?

'Beloved' I said.'What moon? What flowers ?
What trees ? What grace you are talking about ?
I see nothing with my eyes here but
Your face,your cheeks,your eyes and your lips.'

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Pretty Woman

Who are you,pretty woman ?Who are you ?
Are you a waterfall of tulips ?
Or a spring of smiles ?
Are you a well of magic ?
Or a stream of dreams ?
Are you a tree of eternity ?
Or a houri from paradise ?
Are you a fountain of affection ?
Or a river of delight ?
Are you a lake of ecstasy ?
Are you a forest of mystery ?
Are you the sun ?
Or the moon ?
Or the seas ?
Or the skies ?
Are you the Nile river ?
Are you paradise ?
Who are you pretty woman ?Who are you ?
Tell me,tell me,who are you? Who are you ?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Pour Your Wine

Saki,saki,pour your wine,pour your wine.
The moon pours gold on the blooms and the trees,
And the stars swim in a river of wine.
Saki,saki,from your lips,pour your wine.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Through Me

The poet is you,love,not me,not me.
You write all these poems through me,through me.
In them,you pour your soul,your melody.
You are the poet,love,not me,not me.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Your Eyes

Your eyes,sweetheart,
Make me swim in their lakes,
Make me sleep in their shores,
Make me drink from their wine.

Your eyes,sweetheart,
Sing to me sweet songs,
Light my wintry nights,
Mesmerize my eyes.

Your eyes,sweetheart,
Remind me of the doves,
Of the flowers,
Of the skies.

Your eyes,sweetheart,
Teach me
How to love,
How to live,
How to write.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

We Choose Not

You think you choose me,and I think I do,
Although,neither you choose me,nor do I.
We have been destined to meet and to love.
We meet,we love,though in fact,we choose not.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

For You

If you love me,sweetheart,if you love me
Compare me not to the sun or the moon,
Compare me not to Aphrodite or Hathur,
Tell me not that my eyes and my lips
Remind you of Cleopatra or Isis.
If you love me,sweetheart,if you love me
Look beyond my eyes and my lips.
If you love me,sweetheart,if you love me
Love me not for the visions that you see
Or the images that you view about me.
If you love me,sweetheart,if you love me
Love me not for them,or for you,but for me.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Love Dance

In your love, I sing my songs everyday,
In sun, in rain,and like a slaughtered bird,
I dance at your doorstep in ecstasy,
For your love is my happiness and pain.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

If Not For Love

If it was not for love in your eyes,
Sweetheart,and for love in my eyes,
Why then does the moon tonight pour down
Her gold upon my garden in delight ?
Why do the stars swim in a pool of smile ?
Why do the rain drops look like sacred wines ?
Why is the breeze so cool,so fresh,so sweet,
Like a pure perfume from paradise ?
Why do you look like a lotus flower
On the bank of the heavenly Nile ?
Why does life look so beautiful,sweetheart,
In your eyes as well as in my eyes ?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

My Poetry

If you remember me,one day,my friend,
And read my poems,not barely as words,
But as hopes and despairs,as tears and smiles,
As love,as longings,as adorations,
As confessions,as fragments of my self,
Read them then not only with your eyes,
But also with your heart and your soul.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

My Poetry

If you remember me,one day,sweetheart,
Read my poems, not merely as sweet words,
But as longings and fragments of my self,
Read them not with your eyes,but your heart.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

I Love You For You

It is true I love you,sweetheart,not forYou have a pretty face with large eyes,Like the color of the lakes of the skies,And sweet sultry lips made of red tulips.I love you,soul mate,not for the musicIn your voice which scatters like peaches,Nor for your long neck like that of a swan,Nor for your thighs,your breasts,your arms,your waist.I love you,darling,not for this or that,For this kind of love is not a true love.I love you,dearest one,for what I seeWith the eye of my heart within your skin,And beyond the color and the sizeOf your hair and your eyes and your lips.I love you,my love,for love and for you.

With You

With you,sweetheart,I feel
As though I were at home.
In your friendly face, I see the Nile,
I see its waves in your hair,
I see its wine in your eyes,
I see its laughter in your lips.
On your breasts, I see wild doves,
On your cheeks, I see lotus flowers,
On your arms, I see palm-trees.
In you, I see the moon,the sun,the skies.
With you,sweetheart, I feel
As though I were at home.
You gather the fragments of my body one by one.
You cure the wounds in my body and my soul.
You take me back to my land,
To the hills,to the meadows,to the seas.
With you,sweetheart,I feel
As though I were at home.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Enlightenment

Love,beloved, is a quest,a journey,
A discovery,an enlightenment.
And since my birth on this earth,
I have beenLooking for you everywhere,here and there,
Until at last,I discovered that you
Have been always here with me deep within.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

River Of Rapture

Tonight,in my bed,in my bed,
You stretch your white soft body
Like a gentle milky cloud in the skies
With stars planted tenderly
In your cheeks,in your breasts,
In your arms,in your navel,
In your thighs,in your feet,
Like a glowing tattoo made of gold.
You pour down the nectar of your charm
Upon the pillows,the sheets of my bed,
Like drops of wine from heavenly grapevine.
And you fill the air with the fragrance
Of your delicious fruit body
Like amber,like musk,like scent of tulips.
Tonight,you are in my bed,in my bed,
Like a river of rapture,
Like a princess of grace,
Like a houri from paradise.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Do You Love Me

When I ask your eyes:do you love me ?
They say nothing,but they shine as moon light.

When I ask your lips: do you love me ?
They say nothing,but they beam as sunshine.

When I ask you: do you love me,sweetheart ?
You only look in my eyes and smile.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Mirror

Blessed you are,my beloved,and blessed are your body and soul together.In you,you gather the mines of earth and the treasures of heavens.You posses the brooks and the woods, the nights and the dawns,the honeys and the fruits.Every time I look at you,I see all reflections of beauty.I see an orchard of charm,a meadow of elegance,a garden of grace.I see a river of spike,a cascade of gold,a sea of light.I see a gazelle and a giraffe,a mare and a swan,a mermaid and a houri.And like a mirror of magic,you reflect all beauties on earth and in heavens,in meadows and rivers,in forests and seas.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved

Night Of Delight

How pretty the moon is tonight ! She smiles in delight,and like a princess in gold,she scatters silver coins like drops of wine.And you and I,my beloved,finally meet in my garden.And reclining upon the grass,we whisper in affection and smile.The boughs of the trees,laden with clustered fruits,bow down almost to the ground.Goblets of silver are brought round for us,and beakers are as bright as glass but made of silver.We drink a cup of whereof the mixture is of zanjabil.And near our bare feet runs a dreaming soft brook. At the right and left,pretty maidens of everlasting youth like scattered pearls,sing sweetly like nightingales from paradise.And like a thirsty grouse from the Sahara,I sip the wine from the tulips upon your lips,whereas you sigh in rapture and smile as the pretty moon in the skies.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved

Cup Bearer

Cup bearer,rise,rise,the sun now is up.
The flowers in my garden are awake,
And the sparrows sing sweetly their love song.
Saki,come,come,pour your wine in my cup.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Underneath The Divine Tree

How thrilled I am,beloved ! At last we have reached the holy garden of love together.Let me first push the gate of the garden open.And then,let us take off our shoes and walk bare feet towards it.Afterwards,let us step inside it and tread gently upon the isles whose soil is made of flowers and dew drops.Inside the garden,we will witness marvelous things that no one had seen,no one had heard of,no one had thought or dreamed of before.Therein are rivers of water unpolluted,and rivers of wine delicious to drinkers,and rivers of clear-run honey.Therein for us is every kind of fruit,every type of flowers,every sort of trees.And underneath Sideratul Muntaha,the Divine tree,we sit side by side.And as we rest for a while,houris and angels sing and dance for us and pretty maidens offer us a cup of kafur and a plate full of apples,pomegranate and grapes,whereas nightingales,sparrows and doves look at us from above the boughs of the trees and spray a heavenly fragrance upon our heads.And at the end of the ceremony,we strip off our clothes and swim together in the river of eternity whose waves are a mixture of moon light,sun beam and pure perfume.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved

The Orchard

Come,love,let us enter the orchard,
And step gently on the face of the ground,
Lest we wake the flowers within the earth.
Let us kiss the blooms and sing with the birds.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved

Thursday, 23 July 2009

Have You Ever Been In Love

Full moon
In the sky,
Pray say,
Where do you
Come from ?
Do you come
From the clouds ?
From within
The waves
Of the Nile ?
From Eden
In paradise ?

Full moon
In the sky,
Pray come
A bit closer,
And tell me:
Do you feel
A bit lonely,
At night ?
Have you ever
Been in love ?
Are you happy
With your life ?

Full moon
In the sky,
Pray come
More closer.
Let me look
In your eyes.
Let me kiss
Your lips.
Let me drink
From your wine.
Let me swim
In your light.

Full moon
In the sky,
Pray say,
Where do you
Come from ?
Do you come
From the clouds ?
From within
The waves
Of the Nile ?
From Eden
In paradise ?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved

The First And The Last

All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth adores you,my beloved.You are the flower and the odor,the outward and the inward,the first and the last.You are with me wherever I may be.Your love is the sovereignty of the hearts and the souls,and unto you all beautiful things are brought back.You are the love and the beloved,the beauty and the beautiful,the truth and the true.You are able to do all things.You cast love in my heart,and take away the sleep from my eyes.Your eyes are the prettiest lakes of amber that I have ever seen with my eyes.For them,and for the sake of their charm,I place my heart and my soul in your hands.And at your feet,I put my crown and my gold.I adore you,and I know I am not alone in my love for you.For all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth adores you,my beloved.You are the flower and the odor,the outward and the inward,the first and the last.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved

Thebes

Take me back,Sinbad,
To the land
Of magic,
And peace.
Take me back
To Thebes,
And the Nile.
Take me back
To the beloved
Whose eyes
Are as
Wide as
The blue skies,
And whose hair
Is as
Wild as
The gazelles
Of the Sahara.
Take me back
To the people
Whose hearts
Are as
White as
The snow,
And their smile
Is as
Bright as
Moon light.
Take my emerald.
Take my gold.
Take my horse.
Take my sword.
Take all
That I gained
In my elusive,
Vanity trip,
And then,
Take me back
To my land.
Take my back.
Take me back.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved

Night Of Light

Tonight is the night of the nights,my beloved.The stars spread across the skies like thickly-scattered moths,whereas the moon fills the eyes with her smile like waves of sunrise.And your calm pretty face appears to my eyes like a houri in a garden under which rivers flow softly with sweet,pure wine. Meantime,angels descend from the heavens to the ground like pigeons from Eden.And like silken,white curtains, peace comes down unto the earth and remains until the night falls asleep,and the dawn rises up in the skies.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Question

To love you,or not to love you is not the question,my beloved,it is not.For my love for you is a cherry tree that grew within me in the moment of my birth.Hence,to love you,or not to love you is not the question,my beloved,it is not.But the question is this: do you love me as well ?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

A Lovely Night

Why do you sleep now ? The moon is still up,
And the stars are awake and the sparrows,
And the flowers.Rise,rise,and bring the wine,
And sing.Why do we waste a lovely night ?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Because Of You

Glory to you,my beloved,and to your lustrous big eyes as long as the moon beams in the heart of the skies.I bear witness that there is no beauty save your beauty,and that all songs of praise of birds,of angels,of houris,of mermaids,is dedicated to you for the charm in your eyes and the sweetness in your lips.So pure you are,so holy,so undefiled.Your dark thickly hair is as long as palm-trees,with shoots of fruit-stalks,piled one over another.Your lips are red berries,and your chest bears pomegranates and grapes from paradise.Because of you,I listen to the songs of birds,to the whispers of flowers,to the ripples of waves,to the murmurs of breeze.And again,I bear witness that there is no maiden save you who possesses such charm that you have in your eyes,or owns such sweetness that you own in your lips.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Love Me For Love

Love me not,my love,for the lakes of my eyes,and the wine within my lips.Love me not,my love,for the gold in my hair, and the roses on my cheeks.Love me not,my love,for what you may see with your eyes. For this is only the outer side of my self. Love me not,my love, for the things that will fade away day by day like wind.Love me,my love, for what I have deep within my skin:for my feelings and my thoughts.Love me for love,my love,that you may feel for me,with your heart and your soul.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Dream:A Fairy Tale

Last night,I had a dream.I was fishing in a river,but I had no luck the whole day.Every time, I cast my net,it came out either with a bough,or a bucket,or a stone.At last,I decided to cast my net one more time and leave.So I cast my net,and when I pulled it out,I found a bottle in it.And when I opened it,a jinni,like a tall palm tree,came out.'Master!'He said in a voice as loud as thunder.'All your wishes are now my commands.' The greed in me was awakened at once.'What if I asked for pearls, for emeralds,for gold?'I thought to myself.'Tell me,jinni,if you shower me with power,wealth and fame,can these things bring me love,happiness and peace?'I wondered.'Poor fisherman,'said the jinni.'These things come only from within.' Hearing this,I put the jinni back into the bottle,and threw it into the river.Then I went back home with no fish,with no pearls,with no emeralds,with no gold,but with peace in my mind and content in my heart.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Wise Man

Wise man, you are the sage and the poet.
So many books you read and wrote.
You travelled to the east and to the west.
Tell me why have the people come and left?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Let Us Live In Peace

Why do not we live in peace with others and with ourselves? Why do we fight those who are not like us? Why do we fight those who believe in different religions,different values,different concepts,different thoughts? Why do we fight others who are different from us? If we should,let us fight the self within each of us.Let us fight our true enemies: egoism,prejudice, discrimination,hatred,greed and vanity.Why do we fight others who are different from us? Why do not we live in peace with others and with ourselves?Why? Why?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Where

Where are the doves that we heard at first light ?
Where are the blooms that we saw at midday ?
Where are the stars that we witnessed at night ?
Come,love,let's fill our hearts with delight.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Lifetime

Half of your lifetime you spent trying to read and write,half of your lifetime.And the other halfyou sold for money to eat and drink,the other half.And now,how much left for you to live ? How much left for you to live ?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Your Love Is My Gain

In spite of pain, I cannot complain.
Love cleanses my heart,and strengthens my soul.
Besides, could I write my songs without you ?
In spite of pain,your love is my gain.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

I Cannot

I can live, I can live without bread.
I can live, I can live without water.
I can live, I can live without air.
But I cannot live without you,sweetheart.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Everything In You Is Beautiful

Everything in you, sweetheart,
Is beautiful,
Everything is beautiful,
Everything,everything :
Your hair,your eyes,
Your cheeks,your lips,
Your waist,your breasts,your thighs,your hips,
What I see with my eyes,
What I feel with my soul.
Everything in you,sweetheart,
Is beautiful,
Everything is beautiful,
Everything,everything.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

How Much I Love You

Ah,love,do you know,do you know
How many seas I crossed,
How many deserts I passed,
How many mountains I climbed ?

Ah,love,do you know,do you know
How much fears I felt,
How much sufferings,
How much pains ?

Ah,love,do you know,do you know
How many wars I entered,
How many warriors I fought,
How many wounds I endured ?

Ah,love,do you know,do you know
How much I love you ?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

How Much I Love You

Ah,love,do you know,do you know
How many seas I crossed,
How many deserts I passed,
How many mountains I climbed ?
Ah,love,do you know,do you know
How much fears I felt,
How much sufferings,
How much pains ?
Ah,love,do you know,do you know
How many wars I entered,
How many warriors I fought,
How many wounds I endured ?
Ah,love,do you know,do you know
How much I love you ?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The River Of Love

Do not hide,sweetheart,do not hide
The gray color of your hair,
Do not dye it,
Do not feel shy of it.
I did not love you,sweetheart,
For the blackness of your hair,
Or the blueness of your eyes,
Or the redness of your cheeks.
I loved you,sweetheart,and I still,
And I will love you
For the youth in your heart.
In my eyes, you look now,
And you will look tomorrow
As you looked yesterday.
You are a lotus flower
At the bank of a river
That flows now and forever
Deep,deep,within my heart.
I love you,I love you,sweetheart,
For the youth in your heart,
For the endlessness in your spirit,
For the eternity in your soul.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Should I Say

Should I say I love you,sweetheart ? But you know it very well.You see it in my eyes.You hear it in my songs.You feel it within your heart.Should I say you are beautiful ? But you know it very well.You see it when you look in your mirror.you see it in your eyes,in your cheeks,in your lips.You see it in the eyes of the flowers,of the birds,of the trees.You hear it in the whispers of the breeze,in the sighs of the rivers,in the beats of the rain.You feel it in the touch of the sun and in the tap of the moon.Should I say you are beautiful ? Should I say I love you ? But you know it very well.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Tell Me Not

Tell me not about yesterday,sweetheart,for yesterday is no longer here with us.And I try to forget the sorrow and regret about it.Tell me not about tomorrow,for tomorrow is unborn and is not here yet.Why do we worry about what may happen and what may not ? Tell me only about today and about the moment that we share now you and I.Tell me about the wine in your cup and in mine.Tell me about the moon above our heads and the flowers and the trees around us.Tell me about the poems in your eyes and the music within your lips.Tell me about what you feel tonight.Tell me how you feel about our love and about you and me.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

If You Like

If you want,
Sweetheart,
I will
Collect
The flowers
From paradise,
And arrange
A garland
For your hair.

If you wish,
Sweetheart,
I will gather
The pearls
From the seas,
To weave bracelets
For your arms,
And anklets
For your feet.

If you like,
Sweetheart,
I will pick
The stars,
And the moon,
From the skies,
To make
A necklace
For your neck.

If you want,
If you wish,
If you like,
Sweetheart,
I will do
Anything.
I will make
All your dreams
Come true.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Toleration

I know in the end,I will enjoy your company,my beloved, and that is why,in your love, I endure the suffering and the pain.I know at the close of my pilgrimage,I will lie down on the grass of your garden, and that is why I bear the wandering and the walk in the wilderness and the Sahara.I know,in the festival of our reunion,I will sip from the cup of your wine, and that is why I stand the fasting and the thirst day and night.I know,I know,I know,and that is why I am willing to take anything that may lead me to you,to your heart and to your paradise.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Forgive Me

Forgive me,my beloved,if I do not know how to speak to you as I should,for I never loved before,and my language is so poor.Forgive me if I use a meaning that is not tender,or a word that is not sweet,for I always utter the words as they come from my heart.I do not know how to adorn my feelings,or how to decorate my thoughts.Forgive me if I sound like a country boy,or behave like a fool,for I am only a vagabond poet.I talk to the camels,and play with the gazelles.Forgive me,my beloved if I do not know how to speak to you as I should.Forgive me.Forgive me.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

We Are Brothers

If we come from one father,one mother,
If my blood runs in you,like a river,
If you are not of gold, and me of mud,
Why do you look down on me, my brother?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Because We Are Human

I know the pain that you feel,my beloved,when you look at the skies and see the smoke of the guns,when you hear the drumbeats of war,and when you see the soldiers driven to kill and to be killed for no reason,for no cause.I know the pain that you feel when you hear the children cry of cold,of hunger,of loss of fathers and mothers.I know the pain that you feel when you think of the women who sell themselves to feed their daughters and sons.I know the pain that you feel when you talk of the people who have no food,no clothes,no homes.I know the pain that you feel when you see the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.I know the pain that you feel when you see the poor,the weak,the oppressed with no will,with no vision,with no hope.I know the pain that you feel because you and I are human.But the rich and greedy,and the wicked and mean have no feelings,have no consciousness,have no shame!

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Because We Are Human

Like A Deer In The Sahara

The night was pretty and the moon was shinning like the smile of the sun.And I was sitting in my garden when you suddenly appeared like a revelation from the skies.And when my eyes met your eyes,my flute dropped from my hand to the ground, and my eyes became as wide as the eyes of the moon and the stars above my head.'This is but an angel,'I said to myself.'Or perhaps a houri from paradise.'And when you went out of my garden like a soft fast dream,your love stepped into my heart like rainbow,and sleep ran away from my eyes like a dear in the Sahara.

The Flower

My love for you,my beloved,is as old as the moon and the sun,as the rivers and the seas.You and I are like the flower and the scent,the river and the waves.And like a drunken butterfly,I was thrown into the fire of your love. And within its flames,I became a drop in your waves which grew as a white water lily by your river.Hence,people do not think of you without me,nor of me without you.At day, they see us together as they see the sun and the rays of the sun.And at night,they see us together as they see the moon and the light of the moon.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Discovery

Yesterday,I thought I knew everything
Of life,of people,of earth,of heaven,
Of love,of loveliness and of women.Today,
I discovered I know nothing.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Garden Within Garden

When you come to my garden,my beloved,everything changes in the earth and the skies.The sun,the moon,and the stars appear together,and look in love from above and fill my garden with smile,with magic,with light.Meantime,the nightingales,the doves,and the sparrows sing a love melody in praise of your beauty.Whereas the trees dance gracefully,and the flowers stretch their necks and stare in wonder at your hair,at your eyes,at your bosoms,at your lips.And I look at your face and pray that you remain forever a garden within my garden,a light within my heart,and a melody within my soul.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Journey

The way to your place,my beloved, is so long.So many days and so many nights have passed now since I began my journey to your land.And although my she camel is noble and fast,yet I feel as if she swims in a river of eternity.The days of my journey are hot and thirsty and its nights are dark and rainy.And from time to time,I stop in the Sahara to rest for a while.I set a small fire near my tent.Then I play my guitar and sing your divine love song.I think of you all the time and dream of the day that I reach your place.And like a love bird,I long to set my eyes on your face,and swim in the river of your beauty.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Evolution

How much you changed,my beloved!Yesterday,in my eyes,you looked like a garden.In you,I saw peaches and branches.I saw cherries and lilies.I saw pomegranates and plums.I saw lusts and desires.But now,when I look at you,I see you as paradise.In your eyes,I see reveries.I see mysteries.I see fancies.I see dreams.In your lips,I see wisdom.I see sense. I see music.I see songs.On your bosom,I see two heavenly doves.In your chest,I see content.I see tolerance. I see rivers of peace.In you,my beloved,I see a new me and a new you.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Wonder

Every time I see your smile,every time I hear your voice,every time I inhale your perfume,I wonder:why does the moon beam at night? Why do the stars pour down their smiles from the skies ? Why do the birds sing their melody on the boughs of the trees? Why do the flowers fill the air with their scent? Every time I see the smile on your lips,every time I hear the music in your voice,every time I inhale your fragrance,I wonder about the moon and the stars,the birds and the flowers,and smile in delight.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

the full moon

Moon is full tonight.
your eyes are lakes full of charm.
fill my cup with smile.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Beauty

So beautiful you are,sweetheart,and you know it.You reveal it in your walk,in your talk,in your smile,in your look.When you walk,the earth dances merrily beneath your feet.When you talk,you sing a sweet heavenly song.When you smile,you beam like the sun and the moon.When you look,you fill the hearts with your spell,and the eyes with your charm.You are so beautiful,sweetheart,and you make everything around you look so beautiful like you.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

I am Waiting

the night has come now.
the stars wait for the full moon.
i wait for you too.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

My Love Will Come Tonight

Moon,moon,rise,rise.
Stars,stars,smile,smile.
Birds,birds,sing,sing.
Flowers,flowers,dance,dance.
My love will come
To see me,tonight!

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Unknown

If you know not what your eyes cannot see,
What is hidden by the hill,or the sea,
How do you know what is in the heaven,
Or what may happen to you and to me ?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Talk To Me

Talk to me not now of the moon and stars.
Talk to me not of the trees and flowers.
Talk to me of you,your beauty,your charm,
Of the skies in your eyes,and the rivers.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Light Upon Light

Light upon light you are,my beloved.At day,you cover the gardens and the rivers with the sunshine of your lips.And at night,you fill the earth and the heavens with the beam of your eyes.Your light looks like a bright,pearl-like star.And like sun flower,I turn every day to your light.And like a butterfly,I soar to your beam light each night.Light upon light you are,my beloved.And your light guides my eyes and my heart to you at sunrise and sunset.

Talk To Me

Talk to me not now of the moon and stars.
Talk to me not of the trees and flowers.
Talk to me of you,your beauty,your charm,
Of the skies in your eyes,and the rivers.

But I tell you of the river that flows
From the mountain to the sea
And it wraps me in its beauty
Reflecting the sky and the clouds
In the rushing waters that laugh
And sing of love and sunshine
Even as Autumn chases it to the sea,
And I hear your voice in the song
Telling me of love and life
Begging me to linger a little longer.

copyright 11-15-02 Arif and Jazzie, a collaboration

In The Rain

How long should I wait,my beloved ? Every night I come to your house with a heart full of hope,and eyes full of tears.And standing in the rain,I knock on your door time and again, but you neither open your door,nor you look on me from your balcony and smile.Nevertheless,I am not complaining,my love.How can I ? I am just longing to see your face.And like a beggar,I will knock on your door in the rain night after night until you open your door and I set my eyes on your eyes.I will never despair,my flower of flowers,because you are my beloved and I am blessed with your love.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Come!Come!

Come!Come!Prettiest one.The sun fills the horizon with a pure golden wine.Let us run in the meadow like wild deers from the Sahara.Let us sing like free nightingales from paradise.Let us swim like dreamy swans from Aden in a river of perfume.And when we reach the shore of the river of rapture,we lie down side by side on the grass.My arm is a pillow for your head,and your lips are my heavenly, sweet wine.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

How Hard To Be Your Lover

Oh beloved!How hard to be in love with you!How difficult to win your heart!How tough to compete with your lovers!How can I compete with the birds,with the butterflies,with the flowers, with the moon,and with the sun ? How can I sing like the birds of the skies ? How can I dance like the butterflies ? How can I wear colorful clothes like the flowers ? How can I own a river of silver like the moon ? How can I possess waves of gold like the sun ? Woe be to love,beloved, if you do not love me for me,for who I am,and for the simple things that I have!Woe be to love,beloved,and woe is me!

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Within Your Heart

Why do you look for the beloved at the abandoned encampments of the Sahara ? Why do you look for the beloved in the gardens of the town at daytime ? Why do you look for the beloved in the skies at night ? Why do you travel for the beloved far and wide ? Why do you wait for the spring to come to your garden ? Why do you look outside for the beloved if the beloved dwells within your heart day and night ?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

If

Ah!If we could stop the time from running like a wild fairy stallion in the midst of the night!If we could keep the moon in the middle of the skies!If we could keep the cup of wine always full like the River Nile!If we could keep the sun on the lips and the dreams within the eyes!Ah!If we could!If we could!

The Singer

The Treasures Of Your Beauty

Life now looks different ,sweetheart, after I discovered the treasures of paradise in your face and your soul.Before you,sun looked the same when I looked at the skies either in sunrise or sunset. The rays of the sun on the skies looked the same as the rays of the sun on the waves of the rivers. There was no difference between them.But now the rays of the sun on your garden look more beautiful in my eyes than the rays of the sun on the forests and the streams.Life looks different now in my eyes,sweetheart, after I set my eyes on your eyes and your lips.

Gratitude

Did I love a woman like you before ? I do not think I did, my love. Besides,is there a woman like you ? Before you,I did not even know what love was.Then one day, I heard the nightingale talking to the butterflies about you and about your beauty.So I started to look for you everywhere: in the gardens,in the meadows,in the prairies and on the banks of the rivers.I asked about you everyone I met: the birds,the flowers,the lakes and the trees. And when at length I saw you,like a river,love ran in my heart and my soul.Your eyes taught me love,taught me how to talk,and taught me how to write poetry.I am grateful to your eyes,I am grateful to your love,and I am grateful to you.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Garden Of Love

I was attracted to your garden,beloved, by the shape and the color of the trees that I saw as I was passing by.So I pushed the gate open and stepped in as though I was in a dream.The beauty inside was far beyond the beauty I saw from outside.I was taken by the purity and the richness of your soil.'Either I sit by the fountain and enjoy the beauty around me,or I carry the whole garden in my heart,' I thought to myself.And I decided what I loved best to do. At once I began to sow the seeds of love in your soil and every day I watered them with tear drops from my eyes.And when the trees of love grew tall and green in your garden,and their boughs bore the fruits of passion,I smiled in content.I then walked to the gate of your garden and began to sing my love songs for you.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Tree

When I saw you in my garden this morning,sweetheart,I suddenly realized why I love the trees.Your hair is the leaves of the palm trees.Your face grows roses,jasmine flowers, strawberries and tulips.Your arms are two branches of butter.On your breast, you bear apples and grapes from heaven.And when I look at the trees on the mountains,in the meadows,in the gardens,in the forests,I see you.I see your hair,your arms,your cheeks your lips and your bosoms.I know now why I love the trees, sweetheart.I love them because you are a pretty tree,and because the trees look like you.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

You

Though I have not the richness of Rashid, or the throne of Solomon,or the conquests of Bonaparte, I have something more precious than gold, more valuable than power, more important than battles. I have you.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Present

Today is your birthday,my beloved.The birds of your garden told me.So I picked all the flowers in my garden,but the cherry tree told me that they all are too little for a flower like you.So I gathered all the pearls of the sea,but the mermaids told me that they all are too little for a maiden like you.So I collected all the stars in the sky,but the moon told me that they all are too little for a houri like you.So I weaved from the flowers,the pearls,the stars and my heart a necklace as a present for you,though,like the cherry tree,the mermaids and the moon,I tell you that all things in this life is too little for a princess like you.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Search

I do not know why,but in my mind,you are always associated with the sky.One night,I saw you in my dream like a morning star.And when I awoke, I set out to find you.I looked for you in the gardens and on the banks of the rivers and the seas.I asked about you the nightingales,the mermaids and the gazelles,but on one knew where to find you.'Maybe you are somewhere in Mississippi,or in Delhi,or in Accra,or in Marseilles.'I thought to myself.Then I travelled to the west and to the far east,but I came back home empty handed. And then I sat under the willow tree in my garden.And when the moon rose up in the sky,I rejoiced.'Perhaps,it is you.' I said to myself. But when the moon disappeared,I realized that even if I could not see you that night, I will certainly meet you someday, somewhere,at night or at day.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The River Of Beauty

My love for you,my love,is the best thing happened to me.And when your love shone within me as the sun and filled my soul with waves of light,I was simply born anew.I bathed in the river of your charm as a child and then began to see the world outside and the world inside me in a new magical light.I discovered so many things about life,about love,about beauty and about you,my love.I realized the relationship between the heavens and the earth and between you and the cherry flowers,and the levels and the shades of the beauty which increases day by day in you and in the things around you.For this beauty lies in your soul and your eyes and shines from your eyes and my eyes altogether.I found out that life is love, and love is life.After all,what is life without love and without you,my love ?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Leaves Of The Trees

Forgive me,sweetheart,if my poem today makes you sad.But I cannot help it when i wander in my garden this morning and see the leaves of the trees fall down on the ground like the dew drops of dawn.Meantime,tears fall from my eyes like rain when I recall the fallen days of my life.I know tomorrow spring will return to my garden and the leaves will appear once more on the boughs of the trees.But what about my fallen days, sweetheart?Will they come back to the tree of my life when spring knocks on the gate of my garden?Forgive me sweetheart ,if my poem today makes you sad.For I feel sorry for the fallen leaves of the trees and for me.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Moon

When we were together,my love,I loved the moon of the skies. I loved her face,her eyes,and her smile.I loved the moon because she looks like you and because we looked at her together.And even when sometimes you disappeared from my eyes for a while,my love for the moon continued as before, even more.I loved to look at her face,at her eyes and at her smile because she reminded me of your face,of your eyes and of your smile.But now as you are here with me no more, my love,the moon brings me delight no more, but pain instead as she makes me think of loss,of loneliness,and of tears.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Moon Flower

You are not to blame for what happened to me,my beloved.It was not your fault,but mine as my eyes led my heart to the lakes of your eyes.At daytime,I wander in your garden and look at the eyes,the cheeks and the lips of the flowers in delight, whereas,at night,I gaze at the face of the moon.And as the days go by,the heavens and the earth become one in my eyes.Then I begin to see the flowers in your garden shine like the moon,and the moon looks like the tulips of your garden.And when I close my eyes at night for a while, the moon opens her petals bit by bit and from within the moon flower,you rise like a houri from paradise.And then you look at me and smile.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

My Love Songs For You

Every night,I sing for you,sweetheart.With my songs,I reveal my love for you to the stars and the trees.And in them,I open the door to the garden of my heart for your eyes to see what I feel about you.Sometimes,I sing my love songs for you in the rain.Sometimes I sing my love songs for you in the wind. Sometimes,I sing my love songs for you as the flakes of snow fall down around me.And for you sweetheart, I will sing my love songs as long as my heart beats within me,and the moon beams through the skies.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

You Have No Equal

Who is
Sappho
If I listen
To your poetry ?
Who is
Aphrodite
If I look
At your
beauty ?
Who are they
To beCompared
To you,
Sweetheart ?
Who are they ?
Your words
Are more poetic
Than verses,
More imaginative
Than rhyme.
Your voice
Is far softer
Than melody,
More sweeter
Than the guitar.
Your eyes
Are bluer
Than rivers,
Much wider
Than the skies.
Your hairIs longer
Than the Nile,
Far more golder
Than the rays
Of the sun.
Your lips
Are far reder
Than strawberries,
More sweeter
Than wine.
Who is Sappho
and
Who is
Aphrodite ?
Who are they ?
Who are they ?
You have
No equalIn
eloquence,
And in looks.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Wine Of Your Love

My eyes,my love,have led me to you and driven me to my rapture and to my agony altogether.I drank from the wine in the rivers of love in your azure,wide eyes and became intoxicated.You tied me down with your long braids and thus I became a captive of your beauty. I cannot leave you now.How can I? Only you can set me free,if you wish.You can give me back my self and my freedom altogether,if you only let me drink from the wine of your lips so that I awake from the intoxication of the wine of your eyes,If you let me inhale the scent of the red roses on your cheeks,If you let me taste the fruit on your chest,if you et me swim in the wine of your eyes one more time before the moon disappears and the night flees away and falls into the waves of the river of serenity.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Mermaid

How can I forget,sweetheart,the eyes,the lips,the arms and the hair that once I was blessed to see in paradise ? How can I put out of my mind a melody that fell from your sweet red lips into my heart as the sun went down into the Nile ? How can I stop thinking of a houri that was made of honey,of cherries,of milk or a mermaid that swam in the middle of the River Nile ? How can I free my body from a thousand long tresses and break the spell from my soul ? How can I erase the love that Isis poured into my heart or wipe the charm that Hathur cast to my eyes ? How can I stop myself from loving a maiden like you,my love,with whom the heavens fell in love alongwith the sun, the flowers and the birds ? How can I fail to remember all that ? How can I ? How can I ?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Princess

Every one in the village,sweetheart,envy me for you : the painter,the gardener and the troubadour. They say,how can a poor man like me be in love with a princess like you ? Your place is up in the sky like the moon,and like the stars,you are beyond my reach. You deserve to be loved by a prince who can build you a palace of emerald,opal and sapphire and make you his queen.Every one in the village,sweetheart,envy me for you : the men,the birds,the rivers and the flowers.And I cannot blame them.They are right.Like them,I also envy myself for loving a maiden like you,and even for setting my eyes on your eyes in the midst of my dreams.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Swimming Pool

Like silver,water runs in the swimming pool in Bali Island this morning.In my eyes, the surface looks as green as turquoise,as silk brocade,as the leaves of Arabian palm trees.The shades of the trees boughs which look from above dance in the water like a shiver,like a smile,like soft melted music.And suddenly,my dear,you lift your head from beneath the waves and fill the water and the sky with a wave of light like gold.The breeze swiftly comes and kisses your lips,your cheeks,your brow, your hair and your eyes. You look astonished, nevertheless, you laugh in delight like a child and your laughter sounds like a merry song, like a whisper, like a melody of light.And the eyes of the birds,the fruits,the blossoms and the boughs travel towards you in longing.The clouds descend from their ivory towers to your pool.The nightingales,the flowers and the palm trees listen to the sweet tune of your laughter in rapture.Then,like a pretty mermaid,you swim happily while all the hearts around you envy the lucky pool for embracing a body made of tenderness,of brightness,of perfume.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

passing through

so many things in life i do not know.
why do we come here ? and why do we go ?
what is death ? and is there life after life ?
i know not. i am only passing through.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

I Love You More

I love sun,
Moon,
And dawn.
I love heavens,
Flowers,
And rivers.
I love kindness,
Goodness,
And pride,
In the eyes
Of women,
And men.
I love
Beauty in
My land,
And in
Every land.
I love love
Every day,
More and more.
Yet I wonder,
Every day,
And night:
What do
You have more
Than all
Other women,
That makes me
Love you more,
And more ?
What does
Make me
Love you more
Than the blossoms,
Than the heavens,
And the seas ?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Sometimes

Sometimes,
I think
Perhaps
I would be
Happier if
I knew
Everything
Around me.
I would not
Commit
So many
Mistakes.
And life
Would work
For me
Perfectly.

Sometimes,
I feel
It is better
To feel
The beauty
Of life
Without knowing
The secret
Behind it.
For sometimes,
Knowing things
Makes me sad,
Makes me feel
Pain at heart,
And makes
Things look
Less beautiful
In my heart.

Sometimes,
I feel.
Sometimes,
I think.
Sometimes,
I wish I
Knew nothing.
Sometimes,
I wish
I knew
Everything.
Things would
Look clearer
In my eyes.
Perhaps,
I would be
Happier,
And life
Would work
For me
Perfectly.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Mystery

Where did we come from yesterday? And why ?
Where will we go tomorrow,you and I ?
With no wish,we come.With no will, we go.
Come!Come! And drink to forget our outcry.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Love At The First Sight

When I set my eyes on your eyes for the first time, sweetheart,I fell in love with you in no time.But at the time I could not reveal my love to you, for I was stunned when I looked at two eyes as wide as the lofty azure skies,and my heart beat as loud as the drops of rain in the silence of night.I looked at your face and whispered as though I was in a dream ,'Gracious me! How pretty are those two blue lakes in your charming, sweet eyes!They remind me of my river Nile.'You looked at my eyes and blushed as the petals of fresh, red roses.At the time, you said nothing, but I thought I heard your heart beat like drops of dew at the beginning of dawn.And now we meet, you and I, one more time.My eyes kiss your eyes in longing and you smile as a houri from paradise while my heart dances in my chest in delight.'Does she love me?' I ask.'Yes she does!Yes she does!'Say my heart and your eyes.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Butterflies

What Do I Like In You ?

What do I
Like best
In you :
Your eyes,
Your lips,
Or your hair ?
How can I choose
Only one
Of them ?

Your eyes
Are two
Dreamy lakes
Of amber.
Your lips
Are sweet
Strawberries.
Your hair
Is magical
Waterfall
Made of wine.

I like
Your eyes,
And I like
The kohl
In your lakes,
And the night,
For the color
Of your eyes.

I like
Your hair,
And I like
The seas,
And the
Nile,
For your hair.

I like
Your lips,
And I like
The grapes,
And the tulips
For your lips.

What do I
Like in you :
Your eyes,
Your hair,
Or your lips ?
I like
All of them.
For I
Love you,
All of you.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Temple Of Love

Come,
beloved.
But before
We enter
Our temple
Of love,
Let us first
Take off
Our sandals,
Our hats,
Our clothes.
Let us offer
Our flowers,
Our fruits,
Our bread,
To the hungry,
And to the poor.
Let us light
Our candles
For the night
Of the nights.

Come, beloved.
But before
We hold
Our hands,
And embrace
Each other,
Let us first
Kneel down,
And pray
To the beloved
Of the beloved.

Come, beloved.
But before
Our lips
Meet in
A sacred kiss,
Let us first
Sit down,
Side by side,
On the ground,
Next to
The candlelight,
And read
A love poem,
From the
Zaboor,
From the
Bible,
From the
Quran.

Come, beloved.
But before
We drink
Our cup
Of red wine,
Let us first
Sing together,
Let us dance,
Let us whirl,
Like a drunken
Butterfly,
For a while.

Come, beloved.
But before
Our bodies
Melt and
Become one,
Let our souls
Embrace.
Let us become
A love tree,
Bearing thousands
Of heavenly,
Passion fruits,
And offering
Its shade,
Its fruits,
Its wine,
To the lovers
Of mankind.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Sweetheart Dream

Every night,sweetheart dream,I raise my eyes up to the skies and wait for the moon to rise and become as full as a cup of white wine.For one night- as the seer of my village told me- when the moon swims in the silver river of the heaven,we will meet,you and I, and we will live happily ever after,like two water flowers in a garden as green as the dreams in my heart,and the color of your sweet,wide eyes.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Like A Garden

You look pretty,
Sweetheart.
You look
As pretty as
A lotus flower,
At the bank
Of the Nile,
At daytime,
With a smile
Like the rays
Of the sun.

You look beautiful,
Sweetheart.
You look
As beautiful as
A narcissus flower,
At the shore
Of the river,
At night,
With a smile
That looks like
The moon light.

You look elegant,
Sweetheart.
You look As elegant
As a garden
Of roses,
And flowers,
From paradise.
Your smile
Looks like
The rays
Of the sun,
At day,
And like
The moon light,
At night.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

We Are Brothers

If we come from one father, one mother,
If my blood runs in you, like a river,
If you are not of gold, and me of mud,
Why do you look down on me, my brother?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Maybe

What do
Her eyes
Say to
My eyes
When we meet ?
What do
They say ?
I know not.
I know not.

Does she
Think of me ?
Does she
See me
In her dreams ?
Does she ?
Does she ?
Maybe,
Maybe.

Do I
Love her ?
Do I
Dream of
Her eyes ?
Yes I do,
Yes I do,
At day,
And at night.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

No More

And here
We are,
You and I,
After so
Many years
Passed by.
We meet
Once more.
And here
You are now
As beautiful
As before,
Even more.
Magic still
In your eyes
As before,
Even more.
But the love
That I used
To see in
Them before,
Is no more,
Is no more.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Everlasting Love

Do I Love you ?
Look into
My eyes,
And you
Will see
A love
So deep,
So pure,
For you.

How much
Do I
Love you ?
I love you
As much as
The leaves
Of the trees,
As the waves
Of the rivers,
And the seas.

How long
Will I
Love you ?
I will
Love you
As long
As the skies,
As the mountains,
As the sun,
As the moon.

I love you
As much
As the heavens,
And the earth.
And my love
For you
Has no equal,
Has no limit,
Has no beginning,
Has no end.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

In Moon Light

I wonder,
Pretty maiden,
If we can
Get together,
Tonight.
I will make it
A night
To remember,
Every day,
Every night.

I wonder,
Pretty maiden,
If we can
Get together,
Tonight.
I promise
You will not
Regret it.
You will never
Forget it.

I wonder,
Pretty maiden,
If we can
Get together,
Tonight.
I will sail
In your eyes.
And you
Will sail
In mine.

I wonder,
Pretty maiden,
If we can
Get together,
Tonight.
We will swim
In a river
Of romance,
Of rapture,
Of wine.

I wonder,
Pretty maiden,
If we can
Get together,
Tonight.
We will
Lie down
On the grass
In my garden
In moon light.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

My Love For You

So much
Is my love
For you,
So much,
So much.
So charming
Is the magic
That attracts
Me to you,
And your eyes.
So much,
So powerful,
Is the love
That binds
Us together.
So much
Is my love
For you now,
Always and,
Forever.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

You Say

You say
That you
Love me.
And you
Keep saying
That time,
And again.
But
Forgive me
If I say
I do not
Believe you.
For I
Cannot see
The beam
Of love
In your eyes,
Or the rainbow
Of rapture
In your face,
Or the shades
Of affection
In your lips.
I cannot
Hear the tune
Of love
In your voice.
I cannot
Feel the quiver
Of love
In your touch.
I cannot
See love,
I cannot
Hear love,
I cannot
Feel love
When you say
You areIn love
With me.
Forgive me
If I say
I do not
Believe you.
I do not
Believe you.
I cannot.
I cannot.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Why Her ?

My parents,
And classmates,
My neighbors,
And friends,
Always say
To me,
Why her ?
Why her ?
Someone
Like you
Is worthy
Of loving
A maiden
More beautiful
Than her,
With more wealth,
With more charm,
With eyes
Darker,
Or bluer,
Or wider
Than hers.
Why her ?
Why her ?
My parents,
And classmates,
My neighbors,
And friends,
Always say
To me.
But I smile
When I hear
What they say,
And say
To them,
Why her ?
Because I
Love her,
Only her,
Not the wealth,
Not the size,
Or the color
Of her eyes,
Or her skin.
I love her
As she is,
Nothing more,
Nothing less.
I love her,
Cause she is
My soul mate,
My love,
And my life.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

So Many Reasons

I love you,
Sweetheart,
For so
Many reasons:
I love you,
Sweetheart,
For you are
As pretty
As a flower,
As the sun,
As the moon.
I love you,
Sweetheart,
For you are
As gentle
As spring,
As the breeze,
As the petals
Of tulips.
I love you,
Sweetheart,
For you are
As sweet
As the apples,
As the grapes,
As the berries.
I love you,
Sweetheart,
For your eyes,
For your lips,
For your cheeks,
For your hair,
For your heart,
For your soul.
I love you,
Sweetheart,
For what
I see
In you,
And what
I feel
About you.
I love you,
Sweetheart,
But I wonder,
Why does
A princess,
Like you,
Worthy of
A prince,
A sultan,
A king,
Love a poet
So poor,
So simple,
So humble,
Like me ?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

In Dream

Every time,
I look
At the skies,
I see
Your eyes.

Everytime
I glimpse
The tulips,
I conceive
Your cheeks.

Every time
I stare
At the river,
I remember
Your hair.

Every time
I view
The vine,
I picture
Your lips.

Every time
I think
Of your charm,
I swim
In dream.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

From Afar

So pretty you are,sweetheart.You are as pretty as magic,as the river,as the forest.You are even prettier than the tulips, than the moon,than the newly born dawn.Nevertheless,when I look at your charm,I cannot help thinking of the stagnant fall,the famine,the ongoing wars,the children wandering in the tumult,old streets,the ailments,the unemployment,the tied down horses and the graveyards at the back of the black hills.Hence I begin to like my loneliness-in spite of its mercilessness-,and to be content of looking at you from afar,from afar.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Do You Know

Do you know ?
I cannot
Sleep the night
When you
Are not
Here with me.

Do you know ?
I see you
Everywhere
I go,
By day,
Or by night.

Do you know ?
Every time
I think
Of you,
You look
More beautiful
In my eyes.
You grow
Like a
flower,
In my heart.
Your love
Increases,
Day by day.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Rain of Love

To Bedouins,
Rain is
A mercy,
A blessing,
A message
From heaven.
It fills
Rivers of amber,
Wells of wine,
And grows
Trees,
Bushes,
And flowers.
Bedouins love
Rain for
Their gain,
For themselves,
For life,
Not for love.
While I,
Sweetheart,
Love rain
Not for me,
But for you.
For rain
Reminds me
Of your eyes.
For you grow
Flowers of love,
And groves
Of passion fruit,
In my chest.
You build
A fountain
Of rapture
Within my heart.
You run
A stream
Of serenity,
In my soul.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Anymore

What did
Possibly
Go wrong
Between you
And me ?
I do not
Understand
Anything.
Yesterday,
Everything
Was perfect,
Just perfect,
My dear.
We were
Living like
Two love birds
On a bough
Of a green,
Lofty tree
In paradise.
We were singing
Merrily
Love songs
All the time.
But today,
We are not
Together
Anymore,
As we were
Yesterday.
You are there
Some where,
And I am
Alone here,
Wondering
All the time
What did
Possibly
Go wrong
Between you,
And me ?

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Wish

When I was
A little child
I was told
If I tossed
A penny
In a well,
Closed my eyes,
Made a wish
Within my heart,
And revealed
My wish
To no one,
I would have
What I wanted.
And I did
All that
But,
I did not
Get yet
What I wished.
Although,
Sometimes,
I tossed
A quarter.
I remember
I did
It right:
I closed
My eyes,
And whispered
My wish,
Every time
I tossed
My coins
Into dozens,
And dozens
Of fountains,
Here and there.
And until now,
My wish
Has not
Been fulfilled,
For me yet.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

The Language Of Love

Because we
Are in love,
We say not:
You and I.
For I melted
In you and,
You melted
In me.

Because we
Are in love,
Hence we
Say we.
For we now
Are one,
Not two.
We are we.

Because we
Are in love,
You are me.
I am you.
With my heart,
You feel now.
With your eyes,
I now dream.

Because we
Are in love,
We say not:
You and I.
For I melted
In you and,
You melted
In me.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

I Still Remember

Although,
So many years,
So many days,
So many nights,
Have passed
Since we parted
That dark,
Gloomy night,
I still
Remember
Everything:
The trees
With no leaves,
The drops Of rain,
The colorOf your dress,
The tearsIn your eyes,
And the pain
That remains
Deep within.
Everything
Still the same,
Although,
So many years,
So many days,
So many nights,
Have passed
Since we parted
That dark,
Autumn night.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Lucky Me,Lucky You

Lucky me
I love
A pretty maiden
Like you.

Lucky you
You love
A poet
Like me.

Lucky me
You inspire
Me to write
My poetry.

Lucky you
I write
My love poems
About you.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Heavenly Beauty

To say
You are beautiful,
Sweetheart,
Is not enough,
Is not enough.
All women
Are beautiful,
But you share
The beauties
Of all women,
With them.and alone,
You own
A beauty
Of your own.
In your eyes,
There is a
Pure honey
From paradise.
On your cheeks,
There are rare
Heavenly roses.
In your lips,
There are
Divine grapes,
A sweet wine.
Hence to say
You are beautiful,
Sweetheart,
Is not enough,
Is not enough.
For you are
A garden
Of beauty
So genuine,
So heavenly,
And so pure.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Like Leaves,Like Rain

As we sit in the garden,you and I,
Leaves fall from the trees,and rain from the sky.
And likewise,tears were falling from your eyes.
Drink! Drink! Like leaves,like rain,we fall and dry.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)

Born A Lover

I was born a lover. God gave me love as a gift. I inherited it from my father and mother. They were the greatest lovers of all times. My mother was Juliet, Layla and Verginie, all in one. She was the prettiest woman in her town. Her hair was long and dark like the night, and her eyes were green like the color of paradise. The suitors, who were enchanted by her charm, lined up in front of her, and one after the other, asked her for her hand in marriage, but she turned them all down, because of her love for her Romeo, my father. He was the Majnun, and Syrano de Bergerac, too.Every night, he sang love songs under the balcony of his Juliet. One night,in moon light, he went down on his knees in front of his sweetheart and proposed. To his surprise, she smiled and said yes. Since then, he made her his queen and became her husband, her lover, and her cook. He fought for her his enemies and friends. They began to wander in the world day and night. Like father, I loved woman, but one woman, even Juliet herself, was not enough for me. My heart was full of love and I began to love as early as I can remember. In kindergarten,I fell in love with my teacher. She was so pretty and sweet. One day, she kissed me and I knew from that kiss that she was in love with me. That night I couldn't sleep at all. And because her house was next to our house, I decided to visit her. The door of her house was open. So I stepped in and I saw her in bed with a man. I didn't know then he was her husband. I felt betrayed and cried. I then quit school. And when I resumed my classes, I resumed loving women as well. But I decided not to love teachers any more. I loved all other types of women, babysitters, nannies, girls next door and many more. In high school, I fell in love with every girl that looked at me and smiled. Love to me is very simple, whereas, unfortunately, the women I fell in love with did not understand love. I understood love perfectly not only because I am smart, but also because I am an expert in love and relationships between men and women. Love to me is love. But for these women, love is not love, but something else. They mix it with marriage. In all my relationships with my girlfriends, I was always threatened that I might be caught by one of them and be put in that terrifying prison they call marriage. And, thank God, I managed to escape from their hands till I met Sarah. After a week or two of our relationship she insisted that we get married. I did everything that I could to change her mind but I failed. So I gave in. I loved Sarah of course, but I didn't love to spend the rest of my life with her. I am not Romeo but rather Don Juan. And on the wedding night, I went to her house, and to my shock, instead of my lovely Sarah, I found another bride, so ugly. So I turned back and left as quickly as I could and outside, I met John, my classmate and a good friend. 'Where are you going Smart?' he shouted. 'Where is your car?' I asked in return. 'Please take me away from here! Take me to the airport!''To the airport? Are you leaving? Where for?''For china, India, Bangladesh, anywhere far from here!'And soon later, we reached the airport, and I took the plane to Tahiti. On the plane, I met Natasha, a beautiful woman with gold hair and blue eyes. I looked at her and she smiled. It was love at first sight. I knew it, for I know women well. I am blessed with this gift. I know love when I see one, or should I say, when I feel it. After all, I was born a lover.

Author: Arif Khudairi© copyright, 2001 (all rights reserved)