There was no really good place for this thread, but I thought there was psychological truth so it's here. It naturally ties in with the thread about translation: How can it be? And it ties in with a note about the poverty of English when it comes to the word "love". After all, those of us who speak English never think of love as spreading tar on a camel to soothe it 
I'm curious to get feedback from Arabic speakers such as @firedragon and @Debater Slayer to mention a couple of people.
Greek has at least 4 words for love. Arabic has 11. Here's what they have in common which leads to The 11 levels of love in Arabic In the 2nd reference, the creator of that page said "In Arabic, love has many degrees but I will only be listing 11." I wonder at the selection of 11 and the evocative order they're listed in:
5. Sha’af, Law’ah, Li’aj (الشّعَفُ / اللَّوْعَةُ / اللعَاج) Sha’af translates to passion. After desire is the intense flame of passion. To this degree, love is intense, steamy, and also pleasurable. The root word of sha’af is شَعَفَ, which translates to “to spread tar on a camel.” Tar is placed on a camel to soothe it from its ailments, it is a remedy for managing. Passion is the tar that soothes the ailment of loneliness, lovelessness, and depression. Passion is often what heals love and it keeps it alive. Passion is a flame that has two end results, one that is easily ignited and easily put out, and the other which leads to affliction.
9. Tabl, التَّبْل This degree of love tabl, التَّبْل, translates to malady. At this stage, enslaved love becomes an incurable sickness. The verb تَبَلَ means to destroy and love becomes self-destructive, as it begins its descent towards madness. The heart begins to rot on the inside out, and your love, once a beacon of light, is now your enemy. Love that was once pleasurable is now diluted, deafening, and confounded. It becomes umbrage, as your mind loses its validity. The spiral downfall into insanity is your inevitable future unless you have the strength to abandon this love before it fully destroys you. You must destroy it before it destroys you.
11. Huyum, الْهُيُوْمُ The last and most severe degree of love is الْهُيُوْمُ, which translates to insanity. At this stage, love embodies the complete loss of reason. The lover loses his sense and cannot fathom a life without their love so they reside in the refugee of lunacy. Insanity is the eventual fate of excessive love which usually occurs when the lovers are separated or when one of them moves on. The lover becomes destitute, he officially abandons his home, and wonders from place to place until death overtakes him.
I'm curious to get feedback from Arabic speakers such as @firedragon and @Debater Slayer to mention a couple of people.
Greek has at least 4 words for love. Arabic has 11. Here's what they have in common which leads to The 11 levels of love in Arabic In the 2nd reference, the creator of that page said "In Arabic, love has many degrees but I will only be listing 11." I wonder at the selection of 11 and the evocative order they're listed in:
- Al- Hawa, الْهَوَى“ Sweet sweet is the greeting of the eyes,” (Keats). Al- haha translates to attraction, and the root verb is هَوَى, meaning ‘to blow.’ The first degree of love is like the wind, it is unavoidable, it is felt, and it can rise or fall.
5. Sha’af, Law’ah, Li’aj (الشّعَفُ / اللَّوْعَةُ / اللعَاج) Sha’af translates to passion. After desire is the intense flame of passion. To this degree, love is intense, steamy, and also pleasurable. The root word of sha’af is شَعَفَ, which translates to “to spread tar on a camel.” Tar is placed on a camel to soothe it from its ailments, it is a remedy for managing. Passion is the tar that soothes the ailment of loneliness, lovelessness, and depression. Passion is often what heals love and it keeps it alive. Passion is a flame that has two end results, one that is easily ignited and easily put out, and the other which leads to affliction.
9. Tabl, التَّبْل This degree of love tabl, التَّبْل, translates to malady. At this stage, enslaved love becomes an incurable sickness. The verb تَبَلَ means to destroy and love becomes self-destructive, as it begins its descent towards madness. The heart begins to rot on the inside out, and your love, once a beacon of light, is now your enemy. Love that was once pleasurable is now diluted, deafening, and confounded. It becomes umbrage, as your mind loses its validity. The spiral downfall into insanity is your inevitable future unless you have the strength to abandon this love before it fully destroys you. You must destroy it before it destroys you.
11. Huyum, الْهُيُوْمُ The last and most severe degree of love is الْهُيُوْمُ, which translates to insanity. At this stage, love embodies the complete loss of reason. The lover loses his sense and cannot fathom a life without their love so they reside in the refugee of lunacy. Insanity is the eventual fate of excessive love which usually occurs when the lovers are separated or when one of them moves on. The lover becomes destitute, he officially abandons his home, and wonders from place to place until death overtakes him.
