Mahmoud Darwish

I Come From There

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.

Psalm 9

O rose beyond the reach of time and of the senses O kiss enveloped in the scarves of all the winds Surprise me with one dream That my madness will recoil from you Recoiling

Passport

They did not recognize me in the shadows That suck away my color in this Passport And to them my wound was an exhibit For a tourist Who loves to collect photographs They did

Psalm Three

On the day when my words Were earth… I was a friend to stalks of wheat. On the day when my words Were wrath I was a friend to chains. On the day when

Rita And The Rifle

Between Rita and my eyes There is a rifle And whoever knows Rita Kneels and plays To the divinity in those honey-colored eyes And I kissed Rita When she was young And I remember

I Am There

I come from there and remember, I was born like everyone is born, I have a mother And a house with many windows, I have brothers, friends and a prison. I have a wave

Her eyes are Palestinian Her name is Palestinian Her dress and sorrow Palestinian Her kerchief, her feet and body Palestinian Her words and silence Palestinian Her voice Palestinian Her birth and her death Palestinian

Under Siege

Here on the slopes of hills, facing the dusk and the cannon of time Close to the gardens of broken shadows, We do what prisoners do, And what the jobless do: We cultivate hope.