The main body of the present book is a presentation of 62 Arabic poems in the original from the 7th century of the work of Qays b. al-Mulawwah (d. 688), also known as Majnun Leyla "the one who was mad about Leyla." Each Arabic poem has an English translation on the facing page. The English text has footnotes referring to comments that are placed at the end of the work. The poems tell the story of Qays' love to his cousin, Leyla bint Mahd y (d. 688), better known as Leyla al-Amir ya, and provide insights into themes that were prevalent in the ashar al-ghazal al-udhr "platonic or virginal love...

Proverbs bring color to our speech. A way to understand a foreign culture is to learn some of its proverbs. This book presents a selection of more than 700 proverbs and wise sayings from the Arabic world. The dialectal forms are changed and presented in Modern Standard Arabic. The Arabic expressions are paralleled with transliterations, translations into English, and often explanations and English equivalents. The aim of the study is to enlarge the reader's vocabulary in Arabic and to stimulate cross cultural discussions.

A journey of love, awareness and transformation The poems in Love's Thrilling Dimensions are written to stir the heart and soul. They seek to search for a connection between memory, thoughts, feelings, sensory experience and reality. They explore such universal themes as the longing for love, the awakening of wonder, the magic of encounters, the uniqueness of journeys, the ambiguity of a few existential questions and the different changes that can occur in the inner and outer landscapes. The readers witness mostly the alchemy, power and triumph of love in a transforming and spiritual journey...