I have a beautiful friend
About This Entry
The first line of this Arabic couplet is by Ismā‘īl, Qasmūna’s father. It is presented as a challenge to his daughter: can she complete the poem?
Ismā‘īl:
I have a beautiful friend who repaid the helpful with the harmful and permitted what was forbidden to her.
Qasmūna:
Like the sun from which the full moon perpetually acquires its light but nonetheless eclipses its body.
Translated by Jonathan P. Decter.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 3: Encountering Christianity and Islam.
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