We have on this earth what makes life worth living: April’s
– hesitation, the aroma of bread
at dawn, a woman’s point of view about men, the works of
– Aeschylus, the beginning
of love, grass on a stone, mothers living on a flute’s sigh and
– the invaders’ fear of memoriesWe have on this earth what makes life worth living: the
– final days of September, a woman
keeping her apricots ripe after forty, the hour of sunlight in
– prison, a cloud reflecting a swarm
of creatures, the peoples’ applause for those who face death
– with a smile, a tyrant’s fear of songs.We have on this earth what makes life worth living: on this
– earth, the Lady of Earth,
mother of all beginnings and ends. She was called
– Palestine. Her name later became
Palestine. My Lady, because you are my Lady, I deserve life.
SIRATYST (Stuff I Read and Thought You Should Too) -- GAZA GAZA GAZA “To ravage, to slaughter, to usurp under false titles, they call empire; and where they make a desert, they call it peace.” (Calgacus, as quoted by Tacitus, Agricola 30-31)" GAZA WILL LIVE FOREVER! THE INTERNATIONAL WORKING CLASS WILL RISE.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
On This Earth Is What Is Worth Living - Mahmoud Darwish (1942 - 2008)
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4 comments:
Good translation of one of my best Mahmoud Darwish's poems !
I would use "land" instead of "earth"
"there's" instead of "we have"
"returning of April" instead of "April's hesitation "
What do you think ?
Have a nice day
I especially enjoyed "hesitation" and thoroughly resonated with this beautiful poem. Thanks for posting.
I wish the day come soon and instead of the tragedy of Aeschylus to write our own comedy lines. When winter will remind both Jews and Arabs the warm feelings under the blanket (preferably hugging someone), the hot Turkish coffee in the morning (and another hug) from our kids and spouse. When spring calls for celebration of joint "Tiyulim" in nature, warship the flowers that bloom for a short while. September is not what it used to be. What used to be autumn in our childhood starts now in November because of global warming. It should remind us that we are fools to fight each other instead of unite our effort so we can both survive and that mother earth will be there for our grand kids. When the earth quake, and natural disaster come, they would not care about race, religion or gender, it will affect us all.
I am struggling to find contextual information about this poem. Do you know the date it was written?
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