Abu at-Tayyib al-Mutanabbi Poems

Courage to reason second place must take.
For valour should not balanced judgment shake.
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Resolutions are measured against those who make them; generosity in accordance with the giver.
Littleness is magnified by small men, while grandeur is deprecated by the great.
Sayf al-Dawla imposes upon the army his will, yet seasoned armies cannot achieve it.
He asks from men all that he has in himself, though even lions would not claim to match that.
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Strong resolves come in proportion to men of determination,
and noble deeds come in proportion to magnanimous men.
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Beautiful women, as experienced men know,
Are but darkness wrapped in dazzling light aglow.
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A young soul in my ageing body plays,
Though time's sharp blades my weary visage raze.
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My heart is aflame, burning with love for you
While your heart is frigid-cold toward me
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Behold a rosy lion! when seeking out a lake to drink
His roar resounds as far as the Euphrates and the Nile River
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Sleepless over sleepless I had life dramatically
My pains increase and my eyes shed tears periodically.
The hardship of ardent love hurts me extremely.
Only sleepless eye remains and poor heart throbs constantly.
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Night fell; your favor never falls, your sight's
more suited to the eye than being shut
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Dark is the day before it's seen; an adjective's
untrue until it's verified by sight, & since
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