Today my dear friend Ray* shared a love note with me that her army man suitor sent her. And of course like all good women we swooned and ahhhh'd together, as she read me the sweet contents of his letter. :) It was fun.
At the top center of his note he wrote the standard bismala phrase, "In the name of God the Most Gracious and Most Merciful." (This comes from the first verse of of nearly every chapter in the Quran, and people tend to write or say it before beginning a variety of activities and projects, etc.)
Now here is my deep thought of the day: Man, can these people write love notes!!! With the exception of the standard bismala, her suitor's letter sounded much like the amorous poetry and prose of King Solomon. Do you remember what country Solomon's Beloved was from? Mmmmm hmmmmm! You guessed it. And it all makes so much more sense now that I'm here!
He praised Ray for her eyes that were more precious than the jewels of the sea and told her face was like a planet in the sky. Among many other romantic remarks, he likened her to a gazelle swiftly running in the forest. (Song of Songs, anyone, anyone??)
Ray* and I were so deeply moved and impressed by her suitor's affections and impeccable writing skills. I was so, so very excited for her until I realized that such a comment would have incited a drastically different reaction if some American boy ever tried telling me the same thing. Comparing me to big round balls of gas or likening me to any sort of four-legged animal...yeah, um...not so much. How is it that such confessions sound so much more beautiful in Arabic? :)
