Hope shimmers skywards
Stars greet summer night stories
Arabian Tales
The moon and stars have come out to play, my love
As you walk in the garden tonight, my love
Pale in comparison to your loveliness
The tall trees and river can only sigh, love
You tell stories to the Sultan in chambers
The cliffhanger is here as dawn draws nigh, love
You live yet another day, as he wonders
The people do pray for you and your life, love
Day ends and once again the Queen disappears
Hope illuminates the streets until sunrise, love
Today, in books and around the lounge fires
Storytellers pay tribute to you, my love
rich walls whisper
tapestries hang
delicious folklore spills forth
behind screen of virtue
transcend time and place
horrific terror
she will bring it to end
with delicious selfless love
behind screen of truth
beauty and grace
by ninotaziz, the storyteller. all rights reserved.
_________________________________________________________
Inspired by beauty, I write a haiku, a ghazal and free verse in tribute to a most famous ancient Queen. Do you know who she is and the name of her city?
Thank you Kelvin at dVerse. You debut in style.
very cool...nice use of the form again...you have really latched on to this form...and you do use it well to weave your stories.....
ReplyDeleteYes, Brian, I love it for its form, history and the fact that ghazal has become a part of our own tradition for hundreds of years.
DeleteIt was quite amazing to be introduced through dVerse like that.
nice..i like the verse you added since i was here earlier...the haiku in particular is beautiful...
DeleteRomance is your specialty ... lovely form, lovely poem. Nefertiti and Thebes come to mind ... However I may be way off base.
ReplyDeleteMy specialty? Why thank you Helen. We will keep everyone who drops by guessing.
DeleteMy youngest daughter is named after Nefertari. Not as famous as Nefertiti but wife of Ramses II. To be remembered after millenniums...
Will our stories survive?
Wonderful .. I do like the form, too and have to go back to use is more...reminders of tales of Scheherazade?
ReplyDeleteThe Ghazal kinds of grows on you. Thank you for playing, Katy. Answers out in a bit!
DeleteCongratulations for being the first to guess correctly. You do know your storytellers, Katy.
DeleteBeautiful work. Each form has richness and depth as you write them.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mary. I started out with the Ghazal, and the rest just unfolded naturally.
DeleteLove the flavour and texture offered here. An exotic perspective. Very enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteDear Henry,
DeleteI would have tried a French version too but I was too tired. It has been a week of writing speeches and reports.
I am glad you like them.
I like the variety of forms and the story that you weave into and through each one. Delightful.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Eusebia. I write as how it comes to me moment nby moment. Editing is half the fun!
DeleteI like the tercet of Arabian tales ~
ReplyDeleteKnowing how difficult a ghazal is, I appreciate the repetition of my love/love ~ Is the clue with storyteller ?
Grace
Yes Grace, she was a world famous storyteller who intrigued the east and the west for centuries.
DeleteWhat a wonderful story you weaved
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you enjoyed it.
DeleteVery romantic all. Lovely to enjoy tonight.
ReplyDeleteDear Alice,
DeleteStories are best enjoyed under the cloak of night.
...wow... a triple treat Ninot, ma'am... you are too generous & really talented in storytelling thru poetry...
ReplyDelete..stars greet summer night stories--- i just loved that and makes me think how most of the stories were told using stars & constelations during the ancient times...
...and yet again another wonderful ghazal here... i may be clueless of the name of the queen but basing on your words she seemed to be very good and effective leader and loved by many to have her remembered thru times...
...reigning wise in beauty & grace is what i got from your last... loved the mix of modern terms to such a classic topic / subject... it clearly shows adaptability to many changes in time...
...i enjoyed each of 'em... thank you for a wonderful experience... smiles...
Hi Kelvin,
DeleteWhat a lovely prompt you introduced at dVerse..
I actually grew up with the black and white illustrations of this storyteller. Magical lands and fantastical tales with lovely images page after page.
I can tell the stories until today, of shimmering golden, aquamarine, red and silver fishes that ended in the Sultan's kitchen, of stallions that come up from the sea to mate and flying horses that delivered the most beautiful princess to hell and back.
Of suffering, of comic, of love and betrayal. Of temptation and redemption.
I can only seek to spread her tales and tales of the Nusantara as well as I can, using all mediums, all persuasions.
A triple treat here... love them all!
ReplyDeleteGlad you dropped by today, laurie! Lovely weekend!
DeleteYes, you are the storyteller and no matter what form you use, your tales are intriguing and steeped in history. Sigh. Lovely work, Ninot!
ReplyDeleteHappy you liked the stories, Sherry!
DeleteAn excellent post and great merging of styles.
ReplyDeleteThank you Anthony.
DeleteI always look forward to your review.
DeleteAll power to the storyteller!
ReplyDeleteStorytellers need strength to go on. Not all of them are Queens! Thank you Cosmo.
DeleteRich walls whispers - I love that line. Captures the emotions that the eye can experience
ReplyDeleteI love running my fingers along walls of rich carved wood or embroidered tapestries. Warm and rich, the result of hard work by masters long gone...
DeleteNinot Ma'am,
ReplyDeleteA medley of offerings. A measure of versatility. The rare gem sparkles brightly again. Nicely Ma'am!
Hank
A medley of thanks Sir Hank!
Deletethe form subject and language all feel like they belong together. they flow and fit well with the images. =)
ReplyDeleteMuch obliged, Lucy and thank you!
ReplyDeleteScheherazade is always a magnificent subject for any form of poetry.
ReplyDeleteTolling Bell
Thank you Mark for playing. Loved the tolling bells...
DeleteYou certainly nailed it Mark - no doubts at all about who she was!
DeleteA triple helping no less!
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy a competent ghazal.
Aprille, you are kind and I am ecstatic you enjoyed my offering.
DeleteOh, I love those Arabian tales!
ReplyDeleteSo do I, Hazel, for the longest time...
Deleteoh i would love to find out the name of the queen...you really made me curious of what she did and why...
ReplyDeleteThank you for dropping by Claudia. Answers soon!
DeleteI did post the answers over at dVerse. But it disappeared...I do not know whether it went through, Claudia.
DeleteThis is so beautiful... I love how it all weaves together.
ReplyDeleteThank you Serena. I could not find your blog...thank you for dropping by! And glad you loved it.
DeleteWhat an outburst of creativity - I love all three versions of this! I am thinking Sheherezade (don't know if I've spelled that right). I love the dreamy melodiousness of your poetry - not just the ghazal.
ReplyDeleteDear Marina Sofia,
DeleteI love the dreamy! I will come back in a bit to reveal the queen - thank you for taking part !
You are absolutely right Marina Sofia! Scheherazade it was!
DeleteNino, thank you for stopping by my blog and commenting! This is a triad of pure loveliness... three different forms, three aspects of the same woman. I'm wondering if this is Scheherazade from 1,001 Arabian Nights? She was from Persia, I believe. I didn't look at other comments yet!! Wanted to see if I could get this one by myself. It just seems as though the tales are told by her and about her... the middle of the trilogy, the ghazal, was my favorite, the romance of it. Free verse was lovely as well, especially the notions that walls whisper secrets beneath curtains! That was a head-turner. Peace, Amy
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteDear Amy,
DeleteThree happy 'thank you' from me that you liked all of them as a tribute to the one and the same...Answers out soon!
The ghazal is really getting popular, I can't thank Samuel and dVerse enough for introducing it.
Cheers Amy!
Dear Amy, yes, it was Scheherazade. And wasn't she a brave and beloved queen of the people. In a world like today where millions of women and little girls are violated, we could do with Scheherazade!
Delete"rich walls whispers
ReplyDeletetapestries hang
delicious folklore spills forth
behind screen of virtue
transcend time and place"
Such rich imagery to illustrate your tribute. Am not sure of the queen, but you honor her with your words!
Thank you Ginny. It was a lovely experience honoring this storyteller. She deserves it. Wholely. And she is among the most masterful and enduring ones of all.
DeleteI love the enchantment of your words~
ReplyDelete" rich walls whispers
tapestries hang
delicious folklore spills forth
behind screen of virtue"
Yes, many whispers align in these threaded tales!
Beautiful!!!
Threaded tapestries of tales. Thank you Ella!
Deletei like the narrative in the last one.
ReplyDeleteGlad you did, Tammy!
Deleteeach one beautifies the pic! further as if they were posted for the verses themselves!
ReplyDeleteGlad you appreciated the whole package Akila...thank you so much.
DeleteThree beautiful delights in one visit - you spoil us Ninot :-)
ReplyDeleteWell, Tony, we aim to please! You are spoiling me now...thank you!
DeleteLOVE the haiku, and appreciate your ability to impart time, place, mood.
ReplyDeleteWow, that was a lovely thing to say, for to impart time, place and mood is no small feat - thank you Kim!
DeleteI love what you've done here Nino. I've seen you do this before and it is quite striking and flows so smoothly. Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThanks Renee - you are right I love to combine artwork and words to produce something more visually exciting. But the subject matter must be inspiring!
DeleteReally, thanks Renee for your kind observation.
Lovely post. Very enjoyable, thank you:) Tigerbrite
ReplyDeleteHi Tiger!
DeleteGreat that you could make it here . Thank you!
Its all about poems yet I find so much of varieties in your blog. There's always new things for me to learn every time I pay you a visit here. Very well written, Ninot! I'm so glad that the world is reading your ghazal!
ReplyDeleteZunnur,
DeleteAgain I am happy to see you here. You have great talent and should follow your dreams. My dream is quite simple - a blessed life. And I thank God daily in the ways I receive blessings guidance and gifts.