Almond Blossoms and Beyond
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Almond Blossoms and Beyond is one of the last collections of poetry that Mahmoud Darwish left to the world. Composed of brief lyric poems and the magnificent sustained Exile cycle, Almond Blossoms holds an important place in Darwish's unparalleled oeuvre. It distills his late style, in which, though the specter of death looms and weddings turn to funerals, he threads the pulses and fragilities and beauties of life into the lines of his poems. Their liveliness is his own response to the collection's final call to bid "Farewell / Farewell, to the poetry of pain."Library JournalInternationally recognized Palestinian poet Darwish, who died in 2008, writes lyric poems about uprootedness, exile, love, and the idea of death, which seems to throb between his lines: "Death has strayed and missed you/ in the crowds...he put off his visit." In what is likely his last collection, (following the recent If I Were Another), Darwish writes in a clear, simple, and yet elusive language charged with sharp visual images and vibrant musical beats (Orange-like, the sun enters the sea/ the orange is a water lamp on cold trees"). A particular strength is his building on theme words that recur throughout, allowing his text to take different shapes and structures. Though Darwish is a cultural icon among his people who has contributed much to shaping the Palestinian identity and consciousness, this work showcases his ability to recharge his language and reach for universal themes. VERDICT Darwish's transformative language delights; for poetry readers.—Sadiq Alkoriji, South Regional Lib., Broward Cty., FL
Think of others 3Now, in exile 4When you gaze long 5If you walk on a street 6A cafe, and you with the newspaper 7He and none other 11He waited for no one 12Orange-like 14A wedding over there 15Wide space 16These are the words 19To describe an almond blossom 20I sit at home 21I love autumn and the shade of meanings 23As for spring 24I used to love winter 25As if I were joyful 26Happy (I know not why) 27I do not know the stranger 28Beautiful women are beautiful women 31Like a small cafe, that's love 32A hand that scatters wakefulness 33I wish I were younger 34I do not sleep to dream 35She forgot a cloud in the bed 36She/he 37She does not love you 39She has not come 41When you are with me 43Now, after you 44Tuesday, a bright day 49With the fog so dense on the bridge 61Like a hand tattoo in an ode by an ancient Arab poet 73Counterpoint (for Edward W. Said) 87
