• Blog post in response to the following question developed by Caila: • Unfortunately, it was Paradise by Mahmoud Darwish **ASSIGNMENT** (1) Pick two poems from Unfortunately, it was Paradise Compare and contrast the two poems **(hint: Since this series of poems spans Darwish's poetic career, one way of doing this might be by choosing two poems written at different times in his life.) (2) Explain any central themes, identify strong language and tell us about your reaction to each poem. Recommended length: 1-2 short paragraphs.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Mahmoud Darwish
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1) Pick two poems from Unfortunately, it was Paradise
ReplyDeletea. Compare and contrast the two poems
**(hint: Since this series of poems spans Darwish's poetic career, one way of doing this might be by
choosing two poems written at different times in his life.)
2) Explain any central themes, identify strong language and tell us about your reaction to each poem.
a. Recommended length: 1-2 short paragraphs.
The two poems I chose from Unfortunately, it was Paradise by Mahmoud Darwish were “I Talk Too Much” and “Lesson from the Kama Sutra.” The poem “I Talk Too Much” was from Fewer Roses in 1986. The poem “Lesson from the Kama Sutra” was from A Bed for the Stranger in 1999. To begin, the poem “I Talk Too Much” conveys an undertone of frustration. Mahmoud Darwish in the poem is acknowledging in the title alone, that he literally “talks to much” about the situation he faces. Unfortunately in his opinion, the audience is there, and the audience agrees with his message, but all he does is talk about it continuously, constantly going on a “journey to another country” to “talk about the difference between a mirage and the rain,” as opposed to his last presentation about the nuances between “women and trees.” I completely understand the frustration that Darwish feels, as when I am passionate about something, and people agree, but I feel that I am not really getting anywhere with it, it hurts even more than if everyone didn’t agree with me!
In contrast, in the poem “Lesson from the Kama Sutra,” Darwish presents a much more mature character and stance. This may have been due to the 13 year difference between the writing of the poems, but the repetition of “Wait for her” and “And wait for her” demonstrates that he understands the task he was doing before, going from audience to audience to talk about basically the same thing over and over again, was part of the process needed to ultimately succeed. Both poems demonstrate the necessity for repetitive acts and the wait for change, but the “I Talk Too Much” has an impatience associated with it, “The conference audiences applaud me for another three minutes, three minutes of freedom and recognition.” The use of “another” exemplifies how Darwish is at the point of not being content with “another” three minutes. However, in the poem “Lesson from the Kama Sutra,” as I stated earlier Darwish’s use of “Wait for her” and “And wait for her” shows that Darwish is now in fact content with going through the process of “another” three minutes.
In his earlier works, it seems that Darwish writes shorter poems and focuses more on one subject rathis than multiple metaphors as he does in his later poems. I picked two poems to examine, We Have the Right to Love Autumn and We Were Without a Present. In We Have the Right to Love Autumn, Darwish focuses on the season of Autumn and its beauty that they have no time to appreciate. He says that “It’s Autumn. We have the right to smell autumn’s fragrances/and ask the night for a dream” which implies that they cannot embrace such simple pleasures. And he discusses how the dreams like the dreamers themselves actually sicken. This seems like a very strong and negative word to use in comparison to dreams, which may mean that he questions the foundations of these dreams and the cause of such dreams. He asks “Is there room now for a new autumn so we may lie down like coals?” seeming to want to put some things to rest and then turning it around into gold with a new autumn, also known as a new fall and a new beginning. Although this poem has undertones of sad connotations, it also simultaneously seems hopeful. He says “We have the right to die any way we wish”. Although the idea of death can be morbid, it’s his point about being able to choose your death that is powerful. It says a lot about one’s control over their own life, and a lot about the environment that one is in.
ReplyDeleteIn contrast, his poem We Were Without a Present he describes a relationship between a woman and a friend, using more imagery than in his earlier poems. He goes on to say that the woman and friend did not have enough time and were unable to grow old together. The path that the two were forced to take were inevitable and beyond their control. He said that “it march us as if were a passing journey between two myths.” Their lives are shaped by a larger story that they are not creating. He continually reminds them to be kind, because there is no time. He says “we will soon return to our tomorrow, behind us” showing how he continues to look forward. He says “let’s go and let’s be kind” looking towards a more peaceful future. He alludes to the people in the poem as if they are actually one person who are split amongst two divergent paths and two identities, but both must be kind to the other. The poem seems to grapple with the concept of two identities for one woman that has been created by the turmoil of the land. Although the poem refers to exile a lot and hopes of future peace, it still describes the present in a very beautiful way. It can be inferred that currently she is going through tough times, but there is hope for the future.
I was immediately drawn to the opening poem in Mahmoud Darwish’s selected poems anthology, titled “I Will Slog over This Road”. The overall feeling is one of complete devotion to a task to the point of exhaustion. I imagine a man dragging his feet as he continues on this dusty road which stretches on into the distance—does not seem like it will reach any destination any time soon. Darwish writes the road is “endless, endless.” I feel the power of these words, derived from their bareness, the meaning behind their repetition. This traveler has a nearly tangible amount of determination. My favorite part is the departing lines:
ReplyDelete“So what do you say?
I say: I will slog over this endless road to its end and my own.”
I can hear feel see the resolution rise from his skin as evaporated sweat in that unforgiving desert.
In comparison, in a later poem, titled “I See My Ghost Coming From Afar” the mood is less intense. The poem is much longer and the person more removed from his environment; Mahmoud repeats, “Like a balcony, I gaze upon whatever I desire.” From this “balcony” he records what he sees beneath him. There is more specific imagery than the last poem: “I gaze upon a seagull”, “upon the dog of the neighbor who left Canada a year and a half ago”, “I gaze upon the Persian flower.” At the end there is sense of eeriness with the lines, “I gaze upon my ghost approaching from afar.”
I chose to compare "A Soldier Dreams of White Tulips" (1967) with "Inanna's Milk" (1999).
ReplyDelete"A Soldier Dreams of White Tulips" is a relatively straightforward account of a conversation between Mahmoud Darwish and a soldier about the soldier's attitude towards war. The metaphors and similes used to describe certain aspects of war are on point and resonant. Describing one of the men he killed: "He collapsed like a tent on stones, embracing shattered planets." About feeling remorse for the killing: "Mahmoud, my friend, sadness is a white bird that does not come near a battlefield. Soldiers commit a sin when they feel sad. I was there like a machine spitting hellfire and death, turning space into a black bird." Images of dying men as "collapsed like a tent on stones" or sadness as "white birds" and the destruction wreaked by war as "black birds" are simple and vivid images that break down the complex emotions a soldier experiences during battle. I was also struck by the difference in the soldier’s view of patriotism/nationalism versus the poet’s romanticized notions. “I don’t know the land, he said. I don’t feel it in my flesh and blood, as they say in the poems. Suddenly I saw the land as one sees a grocery store, a street, newspapers. I asked him, but don’t you love the land? My love is a picnic, he said, a glass of wine, a love affair…And what about its love? Did it burn like suns and desire? He looked straight at me and said: I love it with my gun.” Darwish comes to understand “the land” as any other inanimate object, plain, unglorified, pedestrian, not particularly worth fighting for. Furthermore, Darwish realizes that the soldier’s reasons for fighting are not some holy, eternal love that “burns like suns and desire” but rather material and transient, the way one might enjoy a glass of wine or an extramarital affair. Finally, the soldier’s statement that he “loves the land with his gun” is a powerful reminder of the practical and emotionally-detached state one must live in to stay sane and alive in such a senseless and unstable environment as war. This poem’s question/answer format and precise and honest imagery lend a human interpretation to wars, which tend to be exalted for the wrong reasons and often misunderstood by those not directly involved in the fighting.
On the other hand, “Inanna’s Milk” is a grand and expansive piece that showcases Darwish’ poetic virtuosity and knowledge of literary styles, ancient cultures, and history. The poem is written to someone Darwish cares deeply about and begins: “Yours are the twins of prose and poetry, as you fly from epoch to epoch, safe and whole upon a cosmic howdah of stars-your victims, your kind guards, carry your seven skies caravan by caravan.” The hyperbole is breathtaking, imagine how many victims, kind guards, and caravans it would take to carry “seven skies” of this woman’s worth in Darwish’ eyes. The poem also constantly references literary styles, with Darwish trying, unsuccessfully, to immortalize his love for her in “prose and poetry,” metaphor, myths, symbols, and songs. He also draws on the esteem and power associated with ancient cultures and figures, such as “ephemeral Sumeria,” the “Winged Bull of Iraq,” and “Nebuchadnezzar’s sun.” The beauty and power of Darwish’ all-encompassing language makes “Inanna’s Milk” a fiercely passionate love poem dedicated to someone who truly deserves and exemplifies this type of love.
In “Lessons from the Kuma Sutra,” Darwish repeats and emphasizes his point of being patient and supportive through his language. Repeatedly, he begins his lines with “wait for her,” so to create understanding and the submission of control within a patriarchal society. The language is also soft and yielding, which is self-reflexive of the meaning.
ReplyDeleteIn “I See My Ghost Coming From Afar,” Darwish uses soft language again. He also creates amazing imagery with his poetic descriptions. It is less prescriptive than “Lessons from the Kuma Sutra.”