A collection of quotes from the best-seller – Girls of Riyad by Rajaa Alsanea.
Some of my excerpts are in french because that’s the version I read, I took some pains to find some quotes in english but I couldn’t translate every single one – spare me the complaints ; Google is your friend 😉
I was engulfed in her work these past weeks and I can’t believe my summer is over! I also wouldn’t mind if this semester could go by as quickly. I can’t wait for my winter break.
For the hopeless romantic
Ne réveillez pas la femme qui aime. Appelez-la dans ses rêves, pour qu’elle ne pleure pas quand elle reviendra à l’amère réalité.
Mark Twain
For the tormented lover
If I had known Love is too dangerous, I would not have loved
If I had known the sea is too deep, I would not have sailed
If I had known my end, I would not have started
Nizar Qabbani
To sanctioned love
“As for love, it still might always struggle to come out into the light of day in Saudi Arabia. You can sense that in the sighs of bored men sitting alone at cafes, in the shining eyes of veiled women walking down the streets, in the phone lines that spring to light after midnight, and in the heartbroken songs and poems, too numerous to count, written by the victims of love unsanctioned by family, by tradition, by the city: Riyadh.”
Rajaa Alsanea
For the passionate lover
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
Elizabeth Barret Browning
To revolutionary love
Nous voulons l’amour qui change les cœurs et les esprits.
Nous voulons l’amour qui incite ceux qui l’éprouvent a entreprendre des actes qui resteront dans l’Histoire comme de merveilleux actes d’amour.
Jassim al-Mutawaa
To the love lost
Il n’est pas facile de trouver le bonheur en nous,
mais il est impossible de le trouver en tout autre endroit.
Agnes Repplier
To my current love
Seigneur Dieu, je viens prendre conseil auprès de Ta science et puiser ma force dans Ta force. Je viens demander Ta générosité infinie. Car Tu es capable et je suis incapable, Tu sais et je ne sais pas, et c’est Toi le Grand Connaisseur des mondes inconnus. Seigneur Dieu, si Tu sais que [cette union] est source de bien pour ma religion, pour ma vie ici-bas et pour ma destinée future, fais qu’il se produise, facilite sa réalisation, et bénis-le. Mais si Tu sais qu’il est source de mal pour ma réligion, pour ma vie ici-bas et pour ma destinée future, éloigne-le de moi et éloigne-moi de lui. Indique-moi le bien, où qu’il se trouve, et fais que j’en sois satisfaite.
Rajaa Alsanea
Alexandra's diary 