On This Earth - by Mahmoud Darwish*

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 memories.

We 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 people's 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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

from Unfortunately, It Was Paradise, translated and edited by Munir Akash and Carolyn Forche.

* Mahmoud Darwish was born in the village of Birwe, in the district of Akka in upper Galilee, Palestine, on March 13, 1942. Six years later, in the 1967 war, the Israeli Army occupied and subsequently destroyed Birwe along with 416 other Palestinian villages.

Needless to mention, the Palestinians and their Arab allies wanted to eradicate the Jews and they lost the war... Needless to mention that the Holy Land was given to the Jews by God as promised by the Covenant with Abraham.

Needless to mention that Arabs have lost the moral right to rule their lands which they have mis-managed through corruption and greed and filth and lies.... Needless to mention that thousands of Palestinians are working in Israel and their lands are plagued by violence, corruption, terrorism and nepotism.