Nizar Qabbani

Here you will find thePoemThe Fortune Tellerof poet Nizar Qabbani

The Fortune Teller

She sat with fear in her eyes Contemplating the upturned cup She said 'Do not be sad, my son You are destined to fall in love' My son, Who sacrifices himself for his beloved, Is a martyr * For long have I studied fortune-telling But never have I read a cup similar to yours For long have I studied fortune-telling But never have I seen sorrows similar to yours You are predestined to sail forever Sail-less, on the sea of love Your life is forever destined To be a book of tears And be imprisoned Between water and fire * But despite all its pains, Despite the sadness That is with us day and night Despite the wind The rainy weather And the cyclone It is love, my son That will be forever the best of fates * There is a woman in your life, my son Her eyes are so beautiful Glory to God Her mouth and her laughter Are full of roses and melodies And her gypsy and crazy love of life Travels the world The woman you love May be your whole world But your sky will be rain-filled Your road blocked, blocked, my son Your beloved, my son, is sleeping In a guarded palace He who approaches her garden wall Who enters her room And who proposes to her Or tries to unite her plaits Will cause her to be lost, my son?lost * You will seek her everywhere, my son You will ask the waves of the sea about her You will ask the shores of the seas You will travel the oceans And your tears will flow like a river And at the close of your life You will find that since your beloved Has no land, no home, no address You have been pursuing only a trace of smoke How difficult it is, my son To love a woman Who has neither land, nor home