In memoriam: Mahmoud Darwish 1941-2008

Mahmoud Darwish, the Palestinian poet of conscience, has died at 67, following heart surgery in Houston. Darwish used the power of his pen to highlight the Palestinian cause. He was harshly critical of infighting by various Palestinian factions, saying their actions lessened the prospects of a Palestinian state.

"He started out as a poet of resistance and then he became a poet of conscience,"  Palestinian lawmaker Hanan Ashrawi told the Associated Press. "He embodied the best in Palestinians... even though he became iconic, he never lost his sense of humanity. We have lost part of our essence, the essence of the Palestinian being."

The poet Naomi Shihab Nye said "Darwish is the Essential Breath of the Palestinian people, the eloquent witness of exile and belonging..."

Darwish's prize-winning poetry has been translated into more than 20 languages. Last month in San Francisco I bought his book The Butterfly's Burden, translated from Arabic by Fady Joudah. I found it impossible to choose just one poem for today's post:

"We store our sorrows in our jars, lest
the soldiers see them and celebrate the seige...
We store them for other seasons,
for a memory,
for something that might surprise us on the road.
But when life becomes normal
we'll grieve like others over personal matters
that bigger headlines had kept hidden,
when we didn't notice the hemorrhage of small wounds in us.
Tomorrow when the place heals
we'll feel its side effects."

And another...

"On the morning that will follow this siege
a girl will walk to her love
in an ornate shirt and ashen pants,
transparent in spirit like apricots
in March: Today is all ours,
all of it, my love, don't be too late
lest a raven alight on my shoulder...
And she'll bite an apple waiting for hope
waiting for a lover who,
perhaps, might not arrive."

Comments

[Yoli]

Thank you for letting me discover him. I am sorry about his passing.

[awareness]

Tara, I have missed reading your posts. It seems like the days flow into one another. Either that, or I'm not managing my time as well.

These poems are stunning.......Darwish is new to me. His ability to draw a picture for us with his beautiful words is a gift.

[tangobaby]

Thank you for bringing this poet to our attention. I'm especially touched by the first poem. If people had poets to speak for them instead of politicians, the world might be a much easier place to live in for many.

[Gillian]

I am sorry Tara, the world loses some light when a poet dies.
I am off to Chapters this morning, will look for something by him. Thank you for the intro, I hadn't heard of him before.
(I really enjoyed that first poem.)

xoxo

[Kamsin]

Thank you for sharing these beautiful and moving poems.

[JanePoet]

the poet is undead in his poetry. thank you for sharing this. xx, JP/deb

[Karen DeGroot Carter]

Thanks so much for teaching me about Mr. Darwish, Tara. I look forward to reading the collection you mentioned. He sounds like a very special poet--and person.

Always so nice to catch up with your goings on. Best wishes to Jordana on her new adventures! K.

[Joyce Ellen Davis]

I am sad that another sane voice in the world has been stilled.

[amber]

The first one especially touches my heart. These words are true for many people all over the world. People dealing with huge things have so little energy to deal with the smaller pains... I think of the families I worked with, or women healing from rape.

Rest his soul.

:)

[rochambeau]

I heard of his passing this morning. Thank you for introducing me to his poetry!

Am emailing you now.

xo
Constance

[Marilyn]

Thanks for sharing. I did not know of him, but now will seek his work.

[Christina]

"today is all ours, all of it, my love...."

Positively beautiful! I have never hear of him. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can find his poetry book.

: )