Rooted in love and longing

While reading poems translated from another language, there is always a thought in the back of the mind: How much of the meaning was lost in translation?

But the translator of Poems From the Desert, a collection by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, seems to have done a good job as the verses are rich in imagery and allegory.

Shaikh Mohammad writes in the Nabati style that has existed in the Arabian peninsula since the Middle Ages.

Nabati poetry is also called “people's poetry'', for it is easy for the masses to understand, since it is written in a dialect similar to their own.

It is said that a few hundred years ago, this form of poetry was sometimes the only formal record of events in the Gulf region.

It is a strong tradition, beloved of the inhabitants of the peninsula, passed on from one generation to another. It is an oral custom that records the life situations the people of this region faced before the onset of the modern era.

Little wonder then that this collection of 27 poems is so easily accessible — and clear in meaning. Lost love, passion, yearning, beauty, the pain of separation, the desire for justice — these are some of the themes found throughout the book.

The poems reflect the thoughts of a man deeply in love with his desert roots.

Many of the poems deal with unrequited love — a love that is not reciprocated, though it is dearly desired.

In Affection In Your Eyes, the poet laments: You have met my undying fervour with silence/ Why would you respond, when you deny I exist?/ Oh! The agony those avoiding eyes have caused/ They stole my sleep and were gone.

Shaikh Mohammad often uses the words “hunt'' and “gazelle'' in his poems, highlighting the preponderance of desert themes in the collection.

In Arab culture, when a woman is compared to a gazelle, it is an illustration of her beauty, as the gazelle is considered a beautiful creature.

Given the stark realities of desert life, hunting was a common profession. It was done to fulfil basic needs.

In verse, “hunting'' became associated with fulfilling another need, of love.

The poet often refers to the lover as a “pearl''. Pearls have a special significance in Emirati culture as diving for these precious stones was considered a noble pursuit.

The pearls themselves were greatly valued and in Shaikh Mohammad's collection, a pearl is used as a metaphor for someone of rare beauty.

One of the best poems in the collection is Zayed, which is also one of the longest.

In this, Shaikh Mohammad shows his admiration and respect for the UAE's founder and first president, Shaikh Zayed.

Your essence even when you are not there/ Rises above your people and I/ When every form of poetry failed to portray you/ I tired to search for flaws within you/ Yet the truth on your face, was clear and apparent/ With honour it was filled and nobility supreme.

The first poem in the book, A Mother's Lament, dwells not only on the themes of justice and the responsibilities of a leader but also a mother's enduring love for a son who has mistreated her.

With an intention to help in such difficult times/ I called for him, to reprimand his wrongdoing/ My words were interrupted by her pleading voice/ “What are you doing?'' she asked with a startled tone/ “I am his Mother, sir, do not condemn him/ How can a mother's heart oppress her own child?''/ How vast is her forgiveness, how tender her heart?/ When empowered she pardoned and forgot his cruel deeds.

Poems From the Desert gives us an insight into Shaikh Mohammad the man.

As Paulo Coelho observes in his foreword to the book: “Writing is an act of courage. But it's worth taking the risk, and His Highness's poems help us to understand better the soul of a man and the heritage of a nation.''