Region | Palestinian Territories
Darwish as his friend knew him
Mahmoud Darwish provided a cultural identity for generations of Palestinians deprived of freedom.
- By Jumana Al Tamimi, Associate Editor
- Published: 23:59 August 12, 2008
- Darwish 'preserved his dignity and pride throughout his years, remaining a friendly and peaceful character'.
- Image Credit: AP
Dubai: "I yearn for my mother's bread, my mother's coffee, her touch."
How many Palestinians were inspired by these words, or sang them during national gatherings down through the years?
Millions.
Mahmoud Darwish provided a cultural identity for generations of Palestinians deprived of freedom. These words were like a second unofficial national anthem to them, after "My Homeland" by the late renowned Palestinian poet Ebrahim Toukan in 1936.
"That poem was an expression to his nostalgia to his mother and to his homeland which he left behind," explained Mohammad Shaheen, a friend of Darwish for many years who translated many of his works to English.
Darwish was born in the Galilean village of Al Birwa, which became, in 1948, part of what is now Israel.
"The place didn't mean anything to him after he left Galilee," Shaheen added in an interview with Gulf News from Amman. It was the feelings, the identity, the memories and the cause.
The last time Shaheen saw his friend was in Amman on July 25 when the iconic Palestinian poet was on his way to the United States to undergo heart surgery.
"He was optimistic and his morale was high," recalled Shaheen, an English Literature University professor at the University of Jordan. But when the two talked over the phone two days later during Darwish's stopover in Paris, Shaheen was alarmed.
"I didn't like his voice," Shaheen said, feeling instinctively that something was wrong. He never thought then, however, that he wouldn't be able to see his friend again.
Darwish died two weeks later on August 12 at the age of 67 in a Houston hospital from complications after an open-heart surgery. Shaheen had been told the operation was successful. Unfortunately, Darwish suffered two strokes.
"Darwish had an aneurysm arota problem," Shaheen said. "He used to say 'I am carrying a mine [in my body] that will explode anytime'."
One of the inherent risks of the operation was that it could potentially lead to a complete paralysis of his lower body. Indeed, before the operation, Darwish trained himself how to live in a wheel-chaired bound.
"He said 'I am afraid of being paralysed. I am not afraid of death'," Shaheen said. It was Darwish's destiny not to suffer.
Publisher caught off guard
Darwish's untimely death even caught his publisher off guard, who was planning to release an English-translation of the poet's recent work: "Almond Blossoms and Beyond."
"He [the publisher in UK] wanted Darwish to see the book," recalled Shaheen, who had translated the works. "He said it will make Darwish very proud forever." The book due to be released by the end of the year.
Darwish's compatriots will hold a funeral for him today. Expectations are it might even match that of veteran Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who was buried in 2004.
Darwish will be laid to rest facing the outskirts of his beloved and Occupied Jerusalem - a precious core of the Palestinian cause, and his life-long cause.
With his death, many Palestinians spread around the globe feel that "they have lost the last thing they had," Shaheen said. "He was a spiritual and cultural symbol," the professor said. "He represented the identity of a whole nation. Some feel a whole entity has evaporated with his death."
For all his notoriety, Darwish never liked to be called the "resistance poet".
Darwish used to say 'The [Palestinian] resistance is by far bigger than me'," Shaheen said.
In his thinking, Darwish was similar in mind to those of the late Palestinian-American intellectual pillar Edward Saeed, who died five years ago.
Shaheen, who was also a friend of Saeed, strongly believes the Palestinian cause benefited from both Darwish and Saeed. "The Palestinian cause used them," Shaheen noted. "Both never took advantage of it."
Arafat had urged Darwish to become an executive committee member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation. The poet did, but later resigned in 1993 to protest the Oslo agreements between Palestinians and Israelis.
"Arafat tried to call Darwish three times, but the latter didn't answer," Shaheen said. Despite the poet's rejection of the Oslo accord, Darwish continued to ask Saeed - also a critic - to end his harsh criticism of Arafat.
Darwish penned several books of poetry and prose which were translated into 20 languages. "Darwish sought rhythm in all his poetry," Shaheen recalled. "He used to hum in the room going back and forth before composing poetry."
Darwish preserved his dignity and pride throughout his years, remaining a friendly and peaceful character, Shaheen said, adding that despite being late to many meetings with Darwish, "he never got angry when I was late a million times."
To those who criticise Darwish as being an "anti-woman poet," Shaheen simply said it's "untrue."
Darwish was married twice and both ended in divorce. He had no children.
To Shaheen, his long-time friend was a rare phenomenon: There will never be another.
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