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"Arabic poetry Palestine Translations into English"
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Sacred Texts and the Arabic Poetry of Mahmud Darwish
Against a background discussion on mainstream poetry, this study offers insights on the venture of the Palestinian poet Mahmud Darwish (1941-2008) into the realm of Middle Eastern mysticism, handed down to us as \"Sufism.\" Darwish sets aside discourse concerning religion, although he leans on the scripture of more than one system of belief. In his poem Abī (My Father), the poet tells us of Shi'a observance as he experienced it; and, in his poem Abad al-S?£abbār (The Eternity of Cactus), the poet compares the Palestinian 1948 Nakba (Tragedy) to the massacre at Karbala in early Islamic times. Poems such as al-Hudhud (The Hoopoe) and the collection Ward Aqall (Fewer Roses) fall into place. These poems, which mark the onset of Darwish's mature period, are not understood as well as his earlier output. In some measure, this could be because translators to English have ignored the poet's clearly stated requirements for translating his poems. Therefore, I have included some lengthy excerpts from my own translations, which were done in conjunction with Reuven Snir's Hebrew translations, in the hope that the reader will enjoy some original creative writing that parallels the Arabic.
Journal Article
Unfortunately, it was paradise
Mahmoud Darwish is a literary rarity: at once critically acclaimed as one of the most important poets in the Arabic language, and beloved as the voice of his people. A legend in Palestine, his lyrics are sung by fieldworkers and schoolchildren. He has assimilated some of the world's oldest literary traditions while simultaneously struggling to open new possibilities for poetry. This collection spans Darwish's entire career, nearly four decades, revealing an impressive range of expression and form. A splendid team of translators has collaborated with the poet on these new translations, which capture Darwish's distinctive voice and spirit. Fady Joudah's foreword, new to this edition, addresses Darwish's enduring legacy following his death in 2008.
eBook
Memory for forgetfulness
One of the Arab world's greatest poets uses the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon and the shelling of Beirut as the setting for this sequence of prose poems. Mahmoud Darwish vividly recreates the sights and sounds of a city under terrible siege. As fighter jets scream overhead, he explores the war-ravaged streets of Beirut on August 6th (Hiroshima Day). Memory for Forgetfulness is an extended reflection on the invasion and its political and historical dimensions. It is also a journey into personal and collective memory. What is the meaning of exile? What is the role of the writer in time of war? What is the relationship of writing (memory) to history (forgetfulness)? In raising these questions, Darwish implicitly connects writing, homeland, meaning, and resistance in an ironic, condensed work that combines wit with rage. Ibrahim Muhawi's translation beautifully renders Darwish's testament to the heroism of a people under siege, and to Palestinian creativity and continuity. Sinan Antoon’s foreword, written expressly for this edition, sets Darwish’s work in the context of changes in the Middle East in the past thirty years.
eBook