... And in the Literature of the West

A man:

I am not sad or suffering, my dear wife... sleep on... I have married another woman, and therefore I cannot come to you, because I must go and live with her!

A woman:

Do not grieve over me or suffer for my sake, my dear husband. I have not died; I am only sleeping here... So wait patiently — and prepare yourself for death!! And in a short while you will come to me!

The Woman and the Poet

Imagine, precisely, a cow...

(From a poet to a woman)

Imagine, precisely, a cow... painting her lips crimson!! And hiding her hooves!!... And setting her lowing to a clear, delicate tune!!!.. The cow chews the green, dewy grasses — and always the dry hay!!!.. And she yields abundant quantities of wholesome milk, and submits meekly to the bull or the young ox in the breeding season...

Many women... would lead happier lives and easier days if they lived as the gentle cow lives!

Imagine, precisely, a dog...

(From a woman to a poet)

He wears filthy, ragged clothes, wanders here and there like some wicked bird, and spends his life composing poems that none but dogs would think about! Dogs live contented and happy, in clean, beautiful houses... they love their masters and guard those who feed them; and yet they love their companions, and succor their pups and watch over them!

Many poets...

would lead happier lives and easier days if they lived as dogs live!

(Al-Hadara) The Iraqi Law College — Murtada Sharara