Mahmoud Darwish (1941–2008)

This is probably Darwish's best collection (it's actually four books in one), and one of the most exquisite volumes of poetry I've ever read. The highlight is his epic poem, "Mural", which is a gorgeous meditation on loss and dispossession, and the hope for a better future. I will always admire the resilience of the Palestinian people to find joy in the horrific circumstances they're subjected to by imperialism and Zionism. I challenge anyone who sees Palestinians and Arabs as subhuman to show more read this, and tell me after if they still have the same impression. show less

إذا قيل لي: ستموتُ هنا في المساء
فماذا ستفعل في ما تبقَّى من الوقتِ؟
ـ أنظرُ في ساعة اليد/
أشربُ كأسَ عصيرٍ،
وأَقضم تُفَّاحَةً،
وأطيلُ التأمُّلَ في نَمْلَةٍ وَجَدَتْ رزقها،
ثم أنظر في ساعة اليدِ/
ما زال ثمَّة وقتٌ لأحلق ذقني
وأَغطس في الماء/ أهجس:
"لا بُدَّ من زينة للكتابة/
فليكن show more الثوبُ أزرق"/
أجْلِسُ حتى الظهيرة حيّاً إلى مكتبي
لا أرى أَثر اللون في الكلمات،
بياضٌ، بياضٌ، بياضٌ...
أُعِدُّ غدائي الأخير
أَصبُّ النبيذ بكأسين: لي
ولمن سوف يأتي بلا موعد،
ثم آخذ قَيْلُولَةً بين حُلْمَينْ/
لكنّ صوت شخيري سيوقظني...
ثم أَنظر في ساعة اليد:
ما زال ثمّةَ وَقْتٌ لأقرأ/
أقرأ فصلاً لدانتي ونصْفَ مُعَلَّقَةٍ
وأرى كيف تذهب مني حياتي
إلى الآخرين، ولا أتساءل عَمَّنْ
سيملأ نقصانها
ـ هكذا ؟
ـ هكذا ، هكذا
ـ ثم ماذا ؟
ـ أمشّط شَعْري، وأرمي القصيدة...
هذي القصيدة في سلة المهملات
وألبس أحدث قمصان إيطاليا،
وأُشَيّع نفسي بحاشيةٍ من كمنجات إسبانيا
ثم أمشي إلى المقبرةْ ! show less

Mahmoud Darwish was a Palestinian poet and author who wrote about the loss of homeland with poignancy and fervor. Journal of an Ordinary Grief is difficult to categorize as it blends autobiographical fiction, essay, and prose poetry. I found it difficult to read because it assumes a familiarity with Palestinian events and writers that I lack, and my copy of the book was missing the endnotes. But despite this, it was a beautiful and heartbreaking collection of writings that, unfortunately, show more feels as relevant today as it did in the 1970s.

Darwish was born in a village in the Western Galilee in 1941. During the Nakba, his family was forced to flee to Lebanon when his village was burned to the ground by the IDF. A year later they returned to the area, but because they had "voluntarily" left their land, they were never granted Israeli citizenship, and lived the rest of their lives as residents. This heightened Darwish's sense of displacement and resentment, and permeates the book.

I marked many passages, especially early in the book, either because they were beautifully written, or because the issues were thought-provoking. I particularly enjoyed his thoughts on memory and the role it plays both with Israelis and Palestinians. Recommended for those who are familiar with Darwish's poetry and want to learn more about his background, and for those who love poetry and wish to read about Palestinian-Israeli relations through that lens. Not recommended as an introduction to the conflict or those seeking a biography of Darwish.

Winner of the PEN Translation Prize in 2011. show less

A masterpiece. There are no words to describe it other than that. That such a small collection of pages has repeatedly reduced me to tears, and inspired me when I felt complete anhedonia for so long. Darwish's magnum opus and ode to Palestine, intricate, expertly crafted, in a manner that I feel will take several reads to decipher.