I just found this poem about Baghdad by Imam Alusi, author of the tafsir, Ruh al-Ma'ani, translated into English from the Arabic:
Shihab al-Din Abu al-Thana' Mahmud al-Alusi (1803-54)
[Longing and Craving: While staying in Istanbul, the poet longed for his children and yearned for his homeland.]
Suddenly, a great longing for al-Zawra' struck me;
what they told me about her is not simple.
If people of the City of Peace cannot stay there,
there is no longer a mountain or valley to shelter noblemen.
If the shadow offered by the city diminishes,
how can we find any shelter in the desert?!
If the pure water in her soil dwindles,
what drink in other places can be sweet for us?!
That was a place where I felt protected;
that was my home where roots and branches grew.
That was a place where I lived; my she-camel thrived on her fertile soil;
my he-camel was satisfied; my assets grew.
I wonder, will I live once again that
abode? Will I meet again those I love?
Will her gardens bloom again after they have withered?
Will drops of dew once again linger on leaves?
On Friday will I be on my way
to the al-Kaylani Mosque, to the assembly of loved ones.
Will I again hold the hand of my father,
Abu Mustafa, a man of endless ambitions?
Will men of letters from both banks meet me
in an assembly of blossoming culture?
Peace be upon those places and people;
wherever they stay, they are always in my heart.
I swear by God, I cannot find any substitute for her air and water;
my heart is there; how I can I find consolation?
Oh my loved ones, is there any chance to meet again?
The messengers between us became weary.
No distraction weakens my resolve to be with you;
if you so desire, our ties will be restored.
Even if you do wrong,
the bitterness of it is all sweet to me.
---Baghdad: The City in Verse, translated and edited by Reuven Snir, (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2013), pp. 171-2.
Shihab al-Din Abu al-Thana' Mahmud al-Alusi (1803-54)
[Longing and Craving: While staying in Istanbul, the poet longed for his children and yearned for his homeland.]
Suddenly, a great longing for al-Zawra' struck me;
what they told me about her is not simple.
If people of the City of Peace cannot stay there,
there is no longer a mountain or valley to shelter noblemen.
If the shadow offered by the city diminishes,
how can we find any shelter in the desert?!
If the pure water in her soil dwindles,
what drink in other places can be sweet for us?!
That was a place where I felt protected;
that was my home where roots and branches grew.
That was a place where I lived; my she-camel thrived on her fertile soil;
my he-camel was satisfied; my assets grew.
I wonder, will I live once again that
abode? Will I meet again those I love?
Will her gardens bloom again after they have withered?
Will drops of dew once again linger on leaves?
On Friday will I be on my way
to the al-Kaylani Mosque, to the assembly of loved ones.
Will I again hold the hand of my father,
Abu Mustafa, a man of endless ambitions?
Will men of letters from both banks meet me
in an assembly of blossoming culture?
Peace be upon those places and people;
wherever they stay, they are always in my heart.
I swear by God, I cannot find any substitute for her air and water;
my heart is there; how I can I find consolation?
Oh my loved ones, is there any chance to meet again?
The messengers between us became weary.
No distraction weakens my resolve to be with you;
if you so desire, our ties will be restored.
Even if you do wrong,
the bitterness of it is all sweet to me.
---Baghdad: The City in Verse, translated and edited by Reuven Snir, (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2013), pp. 171-2.
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