# Hanem explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ameen Rihani.

## What happens

The speaker addresses Hanem, a figure from a past life, recalling a passionate and painful parting. He reflects on her enduring beauty, the lovers she has destroyed, and the uncertainty of their next meeting, ending with a poignant plea.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Loss

The speaker mourns a love lost across time, haunted by memories of a past meeting and the impossibility of reunion.

### Exile and Belonging

The repeated question 'When shall we meet again?' underscores a sense of separation and longing for a lost connection.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown Narrator

The speaker who recalls a past life encounter with Hanem and laments their separation.

### Hanem

The beloved addressee, remembered for her beauty and the fatal effect she has on her lovers.

### Allah

Invoked in the oath 'By Allah' as the speaker swears to his memories of Hanem.

## Key lines

> Hanem Hanem, we must have met before, Perhaps a thousand years ago; I still remember when I tore Your virgin veil of lunar snow.

The speaker insists he and Hanem have known each other in a distant past, recalling a moment of intimacy.

_Establishes the theme of reincarnated or timeless love._

> When shall we, Syrian, meet again?

The speaker asks Hanem when they will be reunited, highlighting the uncertainty of fate.

_Refrain that emphasizes longing and separation._

> The victims of your eyes are here, In pyramids they keep their clay;

The lovers slain by Hanem's beauty are buried in pyramids, their bodies preserved.

_Imagery of death and eternal entombment linked to desire._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_2_se/chapters/hanem
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_2_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_2_se/chapters