(To the one who is forever frowning, at times brooding, and often resentful)
When your brows smile,
The life smiles with them.
And when you’re sad,
the trees mourn,
and the clouds weep.
Whenever you touch anything
anything at all…
it turns to ashes
for slime and gold
are both but ash and coal.
When you smile, my lady,
the threshing floors sing,
And the fields dance,
the birds break into song,
and the moon joins the dance.
When you smile,
hope returns to our souls,
and anew there grow
the buds of roses,
the laughter of children,
the smiles of elders,
the splendor of the day,
and the sky’s stars,
adorning the Garlands.
When you smile,
I shall write a poem,
read a novel,
and replay the scene of seduction…
So, what is the end?
Only this…
do not frown.
Qais Al-Muhanna
Qais Al-Muhanna is a Saudi poet and writer whose literary experience is rooted in a deep appreciation of poetry, from its classical heritage to its modern forms and diverse expressions.
He graduated from King Saud University with a degree in Biology in 1992. His literary interests extend beyond poetry to aesthetic criticism and the exploration of poetry’s authentic meaning and essence, with particular attention to the interplay between beauty, language, and human experience.
Al-Muhanna has published his work on various literary and cultural platforms and has participated in poetry readings and literary events.
In 2011, he published Manmanmat Untha (منمنمة أنثى, A Female Miniature), a critical study of women’s poetry that approaches the female poetic experience from an aesthetic and human perspective.
