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Mahmoud Darwish Poems in English
Mahmoud Darwish, the renowned Palestinian poet, has left behind a rich legacy of poems that have been translated into English. Here are a few lines from his famous poem titled “I Belong There“:
I belong there. I have many memories. I was born as everyone is born.
I have a mother, a house with many windows, friends, and brothers.
I have a prison cell that narrows and a patrol of enemies,
I have a wave that drags me along, and an orphan’s lap,
I have a tale of two cities, and I have a country.
Even if I were to be killed, I would not be frightened.
I belong there. When spring comes, I return
And I would go on doing so even if I were to be born
A thousand times elsewhere.
This is just a small glimpse of Darwish’s powerful poetry. His works delve deep into themes of identity, exile, and the human experience.
Mahmoud Darwish Poems pdf
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Mahmoud Darwish’s Poems on love
Mahmoud Darwish, the renowned Palestinian poet, wrote eloquently on various themes, including love. His poems on love are deeply emotional and capture the complexities of human relationships. Here are a few excerpts and interpretations from his love poems:
1. I Belong There – in English
*”I will plant my hands in the garden
I will grow, I know, I know I will grow.”
(Translation: Love has the power to nurture and transform, making us grow and evolve as individuals.)
2. In the Presence of Absence – in English
“When I love, I love with all I possess, with all my soul and body, and in this love I have the power to make things holy.”
(Interpretation: Love, for Darwish, is an intense and all-encompassing experience that has the ability to sanctify everything it touches.)
3. To Love a Woman – in English
“To love a woman is not to possess her,
It is to die and go on dying
And not to regret. It is to be
the shadow and the rose.”
(Interpretation: Love, according to Darwish, is not about ownership but about a profound connection. It involves self-sacrifice and embracing the dual nature of existence, both light and shadow.)
4. We Were as Those Who are Dreaming – in English
“Love became an entrance to light
and a departure. Love is the sea
and the journey. Love is a water
without weight or homeland.”
(Interpretation: Love is portrayed as a transformative force, a journey that leads to enlightenment. It is boundless, weightless, and transcends geographical boundaries.)
5. I See What I Want – in English
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
(Interpretation: While not explicitly about romantic love, this quote reflects Darwish’s perspective on the importance of emotional connection. Silence can speak volumes and love is often communicated through unspoken understanding.)
Darwish’s poetry on love resonates deeply because it explores the universal aspects of human emotion, making his verses timeless and relatable to readers across cultures and backgrounds.
Mahmoud Darwish’s Poems book
Mahmoud Darwish, the renowned Palestinian poet, wrote several collections of poems during his lifetime. Some of his notable poetry books include:
- Leaves of Olives (1964)
- The Lover from Palestine and Other Poems (1969)
- The Music of Human Flesh (1976)
- Victims of a Map (1984)
- I See What I Want (1990)
- Unfortunately, It Was Paradise: Selected Poems (2003)
- A River Dies of Thirst: journals (2009)
- Why Did You Leave the Horse Alone? (2006)
- The Butterfly’s Burden” (2007)
- If I Were Another (2009)
Please note that this list includes some of his well-known works, and there might be other collections and anthologies featuring his poems as well.
Mahmoud Darwish Poems Arabic
Here is an English translation of Mahmoud Darwish’s poem titled “Identity Card,” which was originally written in Arabic:
Write down!
I am an Arab
And my identity card number is fifty thousand
I have eight children
And the ninth will come after a summer
Will you be angry?
Write down!
I am an Arab
Employed with fellow workers at a quarry
I have eight children
I get them bread
Garments and books
from the rocks
I do not supplicate charity at your doors
Nor do I belittle myself at the footsteps of your chamber
So will you be angry?
Write down!
I am an Arab
I have a name without a title
Patient in a country
Where people are enraged
My roots
Were entrenched before the birth of time
And before the opening of the eras
Before the pines, trees, and the olive trees
And before the grass grew
My father descends from the family of the plow
Not from a privileged class
And my grandfather was a farmer
Neither well-bred, nor well-born!
Teaches me the pride of the sun
Before teaching me how to read
And my house is like a watchman’s hut
Made of branches and cane
Are you satisfied with my status?
I have a name without a title!
Write down!
I am an Arab
You have stolen the orchards of my ancestors
And the land which I cultivated
Along with my children
And you left nothing for us
Except for these rocks
So will the State take them
As it has been said?!
Therefore!
Write down on the top of the first page:
I do not hate people
Nor do I encroach
But if I become hungry
The usurper’s flesh will be my food
Beware!
Beware!
Of my hunger
And my anger!
Mahmoud Darwish Poems About Love Pdf
Mahmoud Darwish Love Story
Mahmoud Darwish, the renowned Palestinian poet, did not have a conventional love story in the traditional sense. However, his life and work were deeply intertwined with themes of love, exile, and longing, which are reflected in his poetry.
Darwish’s love story was, in many ways, a love for his homeland, Palestine, and its people. His poems often expressed his deep attachment to the land, the culture, and the people who inhabited it. He wrote about the beauty of the Palestinian landscape, the pain of displacement, and the hope for a better future.
In his poems, Darwish also explored the complexities of human relationships, including love and heartbreak. His words resonated with readers around the world, capturing the universal experiences of love, loss, and longing.
One of Darwish’s most famous works, “Love Poem,” beautifully captures the essence of his love story. In this poem, he speaks not only of romantic love but also of his love for his homeland:
“We have loved this land more than our love for paradise,
Thus we have been martyred on its soil time and time again,
And thus we have announced the birth of life from the death of our brethren,
And thus we have dried our tears in the sun’s heats,
And thus we have triumphed over our sorrow,
With our blood, we have shaded the eyes of the earth,
And with our mighty hands, we have cast the enemy out,
And with our songs, we have defied the night.”
Darwish’s love story was a testament to his resilience, his passion for his homeland, and his ability to find beauty even in the face of adversity. Through his poetry, he continues to inspire generations with his profound expressions of love, longing, and the human spirit’s enduring strength.
Mahmoud Darwish Love Poems Book
- Leaves of Olives (1964)
- Victims of a Map (1984)
- I See What I Want (1990)
- If I Were Another (2009)
- The Butterfly’s Burden” (2007)
- The Music of Human Flesh (1976)
- A River Dies of Thirst: journals (2009)
- Why Did You Leave the Horse Alone? (2006)
- The Lover from Palestine and Other Poems (1969)
- Unfortunately, It Was Paradise: Selected Poems (2003)
Mahmoud Darwish’s Love Poems
1. Love Beyond Borders
In love, there are no borders drawn,
No lines upon the shifting sand.
Your heart and mine, like morning’s light,
Embrace in lands both near and far.
2. Love’s Melody
Your love, a melody in my soul,
A tune that lingers, sweet and whole.
In every note, I find my peace,
A love that never seeks release.
3. Eternal Embrace
Like stars that grace the endless night,
Our love, a timeless, glowing light.
Through every age, we’ll find our way,
In love’s embrace, come what may.
4. Love’s Silent Language
In every silence, love is heard,
A whispered, ever-present word.
No need for tongues, our hearts converse,
In love’s language, there’s no reverse.
5. Love’s Tapestry
Love weaves a tapestry so fine,
Each thread, your laughter intertwined.
In every moment, there you are,
My love for you, a guiding star.
6. Love’s Endless Bloom
Love is a flower that never fades,
In every season, in sun and shades.
Its petals soft, like morning dew,
My love for you, forever true.
Mahmoud Darwish Short Poems
Here are a few short poems by Mahmoud Darwish, a celebrated Palestinian poet, translated into English:
I come from there and I have memories
Born as mortals are, I have a mother
And a house with many windows,
I have brothers, friends,
And a prison cell with a cold window.
Mine is the wave, snatched by sea-gulls,
I have my own view,
And an extra blade of grass.
And the bounty of birds,
And the immortal olive tree.
I walked this land before the swords
Turned its living body into a laden table.
On this land, what else can I do?
So what if my language is bitter?
So what if I was killed by an Arab?
So what if I was killed by a Jew?
On this land, what else can I do?
Enough for me – in this mirror –
is my face
And the reflection of my beloved’s house
A lake emerges from his eye
And my speech is the speech of touching him
My speech is my speech, and my letter is his letter
My ships leave and return to his palm
What is wrong if I become a woman, and he becomes a woman
And both the sea and the river are his mother
Enough for me, in this mirror,
is my face
What will suffice for a true-love knot?
Even the rain?
But he has bought grief’s lottery, bought even the rain.
“Our glosses / wanting in this world” “Can you remember?”
Anyone! you anyone! If I die, leave the balcony open.
Father, do you remember?
Do you remember the jars of olives and oil,
The small table on the edge of the wine-dark yard?
I would dress for you, father, in leaves and ferns,
Bees and ivy,
Ants for my wristband, a golden ring for my finger,
Where the new moon touched me, where the wind
Tore the rain from my hair,
Where my skirts got stained from the berries,
Where the waterthrush died in my arms,
The juniper tree wore me for a shirt,
And my thoughts came out in zinnias and barley ears.
Do you remember?
Anyone! you anyone! If I die, leave the balcony open!
Father, do you remember?
Do you remember the white doves on the day of the carnage?
They did not spare us a single dove.
They did not leave a single dove in the sky.
And do you remember our farm on the outskirts of exile,
And the old man who harvested the pomegranates,
And I plucked the pink flowers of the coral-tree?
My father, I have inherited nothing but fear.
You have inherited fear, my son;
I have inherited nothing but the asphalt street,
A treadmill of dead steps in the fog,
Where the ghost of a cloud goes up in the branches of the eucalyptus,
And a bird hoarsely prays for its dead mate,
And the kids return home
With heads full of forest air
And faces the color of rain.
Father,
Are you as tall as the doves of your mulberry trees?
Anyone! you anyone! If I die, leave the balcony open.
Father, do you remember?
Do you remember the shade in the backyard,
And the branches of the salt-pine rustling on the fence,
And shirts that have not yet dried,
And the hoopoe who chants: My vacant heart is joyful?
Father, I am myself and my circumstances,
I am the song of the rain,
The gust of the east wind,
The taste of apricots,
The burning of the sun,
The umbrella of the cloud,
I am short of words,
Father, I am short.
Anyone! you anyone! If I die, leave the balcony open.
Father, do you remember?
Do you remember the light of the lamp,
The neighbor’s girls,
And your skirts on the wall,
And, with lights on, the sandalwood combs,
And your coffee in the white china cups,
And the gossamer of the white tablecloth,
And the laughter of the early riser?
Father, I am myself and my circumstances,
I am the one who remains and the one who departs,
I am the little one whose palms smell of dates,
My father, I am short.
Do you remember? Anyone! you anyone! If I die, leave the balcony open.
Father, do you remember?
Do you remember the almond-and-syrup evening,
The almond-and-syrup evening in the garden of olives,
And the fragrance of Mastic gum?
Do you remember?
Father, I am myself and my circumstances,
From the book of “Memory for Forgetfulness.”
Also read –
Poems For The Lost Because I’m Lost Too
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