Thousands pay final respects to Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish
Last Updated: Wednesday, August 13, 2008
CBC News
Iconic Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, seen here in July 2007, was buried in Ramallah on Wednesday. (Gil Cohen Magen/Associated Press)
Following an impressive memorial fit for a head of state and complete with a eulogy from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, poet and cultural icon Mahmoud Darwish was buried in the West Bank on Wednesday.
Thousands of people pressed against the funeral cortege carrying the poet's coffin as it weaved its way through the streets of Ramallah.
He was "the symbol who expressed our national feeling," Abbas said of the 67-year-old Darwish, whom he also hailed a "pioneer, a leader and a teacher."
Officials buried Darwish next to Ramallah's Cultural Palace, the site where he had frequently given poetry readings to massive crowds. The building was renamed in his honour.
The influential poet died on Saturday, following heart surgery in Houston. Abbas declared three days of mourning and flags were lowered to half-staff at government buildings in the West Bank on Wednesday.
Evocative poetry called for independence
Darwish rose to prominence in the 1960s with the release of his first, evocative poetry collection, Bird without Wings. He would go on to publish another 21 collections, with 2008's The Impression of Butterflies is final offering.
With his award-winning work translated into more than 20 languages, Darwish became known as one of the most prominent public figures expressing the Palestinian people's desire and struggles for independence.
Many of his poems also won a wider audience when they were translated into songs — including Rita, Birds of Galilee and I Yearn for my Mother's Bread — that became anthems for Palestinians.
Aside from poetry, he was also a critic of both Israeli and Palestinian leadership, and penned some of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's famed speeches, including the latter's "olive branch and a gun" address to the United Nations General Assembly in 1974 and the symbolic Palestinian Declaration of Independence Arafat read in 1988.
Though he often shocked Israelis with his strong words, Darwish condemned suicide bombing against Israel. He also raised concern about the more recent infighting between Palestinian factions.
Last Updated: Wednesday, August 13, 2008
CBC News
Iconic Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, seen here in July 2007, was buried in Ramallah on Wednesday. (Gil Cohen Magen/Associated Press)
Following an impressive memorial fit for a head of state and complete with a eulogy from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, poet and cultural icon Mahmoud Darwish was buried in the West Bank on Wednesday.
Thousands of people pressed against the funeral cortege carrying the poet's coffin as it weaved its way through the streets of Ramallah.
He was "the symbol who expressed our national feeling," Abbas said of the 67-year-old Darwish, whom he also hailed a "pioneer, a leader and a teacher."
Officials buried Darwish next to Ramallah's Cultural Palace, the site where he had frequently given poetry readings to massive crowds. The building was renamed in his honour.
The influential poet died on Saturday, following heart surgery in Houston. Abbas declared three days of mourning and flags were lowered to half-staff at government buildings in the West Bank on Wednesday.
Evocative poetry called for independence
Darwish rose to prominence in the 1960s with the release of his first, evocative poetry collection, Bird without Wings. He would go on to publish another 21 collections, with 2008's The Impression of Butterflies is final offering.
With his award-winning work translated into more than 20 languages, Darwish became known as one of the most prominent public figures expressing the Palestinian people's desire and struggles for independence.
Many of his poems also won a wider audience when they were translated into songs — including Rita, Birds of Galilee and I Yearn for my Mother's Bread — that became anthems for Palestinians.
Aside from poetry, he was also a critic of both Israeli and Palestinian leadership, and penned some of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's famed speeches, including the latter's "olive branch and a gun" address to the United Nations General Assembly in 1974 and the symbolic Palestinian Declaration of Independence Arafat read in 1988.
Though he often shocked Israelis with his strong words, Darwish condemned suicide bombing against Israel. He also raised concern about the more recent infighting between Palestinian factions.
