People express themselves, their emotions, in ways that are fascinating and continually changing. 10 years ago, who would have thought you would be reading my blog as I sit on my couch in Amman and you are (likely) thousands of miles away.
There is one form of expression I admire most, that I am drawn to no matter what the origin, language, or culture. Poetry, the profoundly radical, intimate synthesis of words, thoughts, and ideas conveys life in a way that is sacred and beautiful.
The Arab world is filled with poetry. The best example of this is in everyday language. In English, our interactions and verbal communications are very blunt and to the point. We say hello, good morning, goodbye, bless you. Very basic but universal. This is not true in Arabic and though I cannot justifiably translate the expressions into English I can give you an example.
Person 1: Good Morning - saba al khayer (good morning)
Person 2 Response: - saba al nur (morning of light), or saba al ward (morning of the rose), or saba al yasmin (morning of the jasmine)
In Arabic, you can find infinite numbers of ways to respond to a simple phrase in words that are poetic and full of meaning.
It is no surprise that Arabic poetry is famous for its eloquence and beauty. The play on words serves an important purpose, politically and culturally. Palestinians, in particular, have used poetry to express the plight of their struggle and the frustration with over 60 years of struggle.
That being said, I have chosen four of my favorite Palestinian/Arab poets and hope you will check them out. Darwish is, by far, the most popular Palestinian poet and he and Fadwa Tuqan are from an older generation. Suheir Hammad and Remi Kanazi are current spoken word artists and poets of Palestinian heritage, but from the States.
Mahmoud Darwish
Suheir Hammad
-From Ted Talks Suheir Hammad: Poems of war, peace, women, power
Fadwa Tuqan
Remi Kanazi - Poetic Injustice
-From You Tube/Grit TV: The Do's and Don'ts of Palestine
-From You Tube/PalFest 2010: Coexistence
There is one form of expression I admire most, that I am drawn to no matter what the origin, language, or culture. Poetry, the profoundly radical, intimate synthesis of words, thoughts, and ideas conveys life in a way that is sacred and beautiful.
The Arab world is filled with poetry. The best example of this is in everyday language. In English, our interactions and verbal communications are very blunt and to the point. We say hello, good morning, goodbye, bless you. Very basic but universal. This is not true in Arabic and though I cannot justifiably translate the expressions into English I can give you an example.
Person 1: Good Morning - saba al khayer (good morning)
Person 2 Response: - saba al nur (morning of light), or saba al ward (morning of the rose), or saba al yasmin (morning of the jasmine)
In Arabic, you can find infinite numbers of ways to respond to a simple phrase in words that are poetic and full of meaning.
It is no surprise that Arabic poetry is famous for its eloquence and beauty. The play on words serves an important purpose, politically and culturally. Palestinians, in particular, have used poetry to express the plight of their struggle and the frustration with over 60 years of struggle.
That being said, I have chosen four of my favorite Palestinian/Arab poets and hope you will check them out. Darwish is, by far, the most popular Palestinian poet and he and Fadwa Tuqan are from an older generation. Suheir Hammad and Remi Kanazi are current spoken word artists and poets of Palestinian heritage, but from the States.
Mahmoud Darwish
Suheir Hammad
-From Ted Talks Suheir Hammad: Poems of war, peace, women, power
Fadwa Tuqan
Remi Kanazi - Poetic Injustice
-From You Tube/Grit TV: The Do's and Don'ts of Palestine
-From You Tube/PalFest 2010: Coexistence
Standing here, staying here, permanent here, eternal here, and we have one goal, one, one: to be. and we will
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