If I Were Another: Poems

232 Pages·2009·3.08 MB·English

by  Darwish Mahmoud

ALSO BY MAHMOUD DARWI SH
AR ivDeireo sfT hitrJ:uos rnals
AlmoBnldo sasnoJ?dme syn od
ThBeu tteBruflryd'esn
WhyD iYdo Lue atvheHe o rAsleo ne?
UnofrtunIaWtta ePsla ydr,sai eS:e lePcoteemds
MemofrroyFo rgetfuAlungeuBssesti:,ri u9t8,2
IF I WERE ANOTHER

FARRAR, STRAUS AND GIROUX
18W es1t8 tSht reNeetw,Y or1k0 011
Copyrig2h0t0©b9 y t hMe� hmoud DarEwsitsaht e
Translactoipoynr ig2h0t0©b9 y F adJyo udah
Alrli ghrtess erved
DistribiunCt aenda dbayD &M PublisIhnecr.s ,
Prinitentd h Uen itSetda toefAs m erica
Firesdti ti2o0n0,9
Grateafuclk nowledigsmm aednetto t hfoel lowpiungb licaitniw ohniscs,ho moef t hepsoee ms
originaaplpleya rCeadll:a l"oAHo o:r sfoert hSet rangHearr"va;Rr edv ie"wT:h 'eR eIdn dian's'
PenultiSmpaeteetc oht hWeh itMea n"M;o derPno etirnTy r ansla"tLiiokanH:e a nTda ttionto h e
JahPioleit O'dse "N;e wA merican Wr"iCtoiunngt:e rpPoNi R�etv"i;e" wR:u bai"yTartu;c'e with
thMeo ngoblyst hHeo lmO akF oresatn;d"' AM usiSce ntenPcoee"t;Rre yv ie"wT:u esdaanydt he
WeathIesCr l eaAr P"u;b lSipca c"eO:n t hlea esvte nionntg h iesa rtThh"eT; h reepeRnenvyi ew:
"TakCea roef t hSet agFsa,t heTri"nH; o us"e:AC anaanRiotceik n t hDee adS eaT"w;o L ines:
"RitWai'nst. e"Arp ortoioftn h ien troduwcatsoi roing inpaubllliys ihnTe hdeT hreepeRnenvyi ew.
LibroafrC yo ngrCeastsa loging-in-DPautbal ication
DarwiMsahh,m ud.
[PoemEsn.g liSsehl.e ctions]
IfI wearneo thIMe arh mouDda rwi;st hranslbayFt aeddJy o uda-h1.se td .
p.c m.
Inclubdiebsl iogrraepfehriecnaaclne dis n dex.
ISBN-91738:- 0-374(-h1a7r4d2c9:o-a v3le kpr.a per)
ISBN-01-03:7 4-1(7h4a2r9d-c6:o a vlekpr.a per)
IJ.o udaFha,d iy9,7 1I-IT.i tle.
PJ782A02.1A2570 09
8972'.1 6 -dc22
Designaenddt ypebsyeQ tu emadura
www.fsgbooks.com
1 3 57 9018 64 2
Thet ranswloautloldri kteot hanJko natGhaalna sLsoiu,iG sleu cMka,r ilHyanc ker,
andt heed itooftr hsje o urnianwl hsi cthh aeb ovpeo emfisr satp peared.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION: MahmoDuadr wiLsyhrE'ipsciv 1c1
IS EEW HAT IW ANT (1990)
Rubai4 yat
TakeC aroeft hSet aFgast,h s er
Trucwei tthhM eo ngsbo ylt hHeo lOma kF ore1 ss t
AM usSiecn te21n ce
ThTera geydo fN arcitshCseoum se doyfS ivle2rs
The Ho4o 2p oe
ELEVENP LANETS( 1992)
ElevPelna naettth Esen odf t hAen daluSsciean5 ne7
I.O nt hlea esvte nointn hgi s earth
II.H owd oIw rite tahbeo vcel ouds?
IIII.h avbee hitnhsdek ays ky
IV.A nda mIo noeft he okiftn hegens d
v. Oned aIyw ,i slioltn t hsei dewalk
VI.T ruhtahts w faoc easn d stnhoiewbs l ack
VII.W hoa mI a ftetrhs et ranngiegrh'ts?
VIIIW. atebrea,s trtiomn ygg uitar
IX.I ne xodIlu osyv oemu o re
x. Iw anfrto ml oovnel tyhb ee ginning
XI.T he violins
The "IRneddi Paenn'ulst"i mSapteeeto cthhW eh iMtaen s 9
A CanataRen oiciknt hDee aSde a7 s
WeW ilClh ooSsohepo lcesss
RitWai'nst se sr
AH orfsoret her.aSntgs4e r
MURAL( 200990 )
EXILE( 2005)
IT.u esadnatdyh Wee atIsh Celre a14r 9
IID.e nFosge otvheBerr id1g seo
IILIi.ka He a nTdat tionto h Jea hPioleit '1s7 1 Ode
IVC.ou ntpeori1n st s
NOTES 195
GLOSSARY 197
1 NTRO o uC TI 0 N MahmouDda nvisLhy'rsEi pci c
t
u
heMna hmoud DaanrIdmw eiotsn Ah u gu4s2,t0 0fi8v,de a ybse ­
forhee u ndertwhesenu tr gtehrwayot u elndd lhihifeesr, e iterated
thcee ntraanlidim tpyo rtMuarnahcloe l fodrts h ciosl leIcnt ion.
Murhaelg raswpheahdtefe arweodu bled lhaicssht a ntcowe r iatftees ru rviving
cardiovdaesafoctruh l tsaherec otnidmi en1 99T9h.pe o ewma ass onogf praise
thaaffitr mlsia fen tdh heu mannioottny l oyf mtahreg inPaalliezsebtdui tn ian
alosfo itnhdei vitdhuiasl a enooadnfrM tahh,m oud DarwMiusrhwa alhs i mself.
madien atp ol bayyt hPea lesNtaitniiToahnnea alst hroera tftleirytp su blication
in2 00w0i thaonupytr ompfrtoimDn agr w(ihspihos e htarosyft ebne esnet to
film, maunssdoi nc.Tg, h) set apgoeedhm a cso ntitnotu oetudhr we o rtload s ­
tounadcicnlgia nPi amr,Ei dsi,n bTuurngihsR,ia am,a lHlaaihafa,n,e d l sewhere.
A consumpmoaeattte atchmeoe fi nneremxopsetr siiemnuclet,a neously per­
sonalu nainvdeb restawtleh,ede ne aotflh a ngaunapdgh ey sdiecaaDtlah r,w ish
creastoemde tuhniinqghu ietslh:yte r eaotfaip srei vsapteeeb cehc ocmoel lec­
tiMvuer.wa alts h oen mea gnum oofwp huihsce wh a cse rtara airne, conviction
forap owehtro e fleocnht icsso mplweotrewkdis th ha rdsohu ebqtu oanltl ohy is
ecsteamtbircwa hceeon nt hteh resohfno elpwdo e.m s
Hifisr esxtp eroifde enacitenh1 ,9 8w4a,ps e acaenfupdla infillelswesid,t h
VII
"whiteTnhseees csw.oa"nms �o rter aumaanwtdai psca ckweidti hn tevnissei ons.
Murgaalt hDearrewdi esxhp'esr oifleinacfere,ats n,d d e aittnhh ,e irs ewrheint­e
itayn vdi olaewnantkie nagn,ad c ceerlahtie"sdl astteyi lnept"ro o lific, progres­
sively experiinsm eeanortfcna hel wp o osustipbiuinltl a intgiuaeanfosgdr e m ,
undtehrse h adoofaw b seanncadte h iarnfiddn adle a"tWhh.ao m It od isappoint
thveo /iwhdoa mI ;a'st kh e lfiinnoaefTlsh e DPilcaeyD earr,w ilsauhsn'tcs o l­
lecltyeredip ciw cr,i twteeebnke sfo hrieds e aotnAh u gu9s2,t 0 0B8u.Its triel­l
member his boyliasuwhgh,he Inst artiiohdu i mmp":hT haDeni tc e Pilasa yer
distMiulrliaenled n tiredliyc tnieohwnsi ; 'r e"apoSnlmdyfre :i enedvsec nai ltl
_
thaent i-MuHreha alod.v "e rchoiomswe an r (tad nd eafotrho )nl ea tsitmh ee,l d
iatp afrrotmh imsseotl hfia tt wouludt aaibnnlsddyi i nsgpublealrotlnohy gi m
anhdet oi t.
IfIW erAen tohieasrt ribtouD taer wilsyhre'ipscia cnt,dot he eosfhs iesn ce
"lastteyt lhece,u "l minoafat nei notnli irifeend i altohgmaueter gtehssee wlift h
itsst raintogste hrie,ncr o ,n tinuous rtehwneie dweapnlei rnwigip othfhhe uir­ny
mang raTchete.w coo llecltoinpogon estm hsoba fet g inb otoIhkS i,eWse h aIt
Wan(t1 9a9n0Ed)l evPelna n(e1t9sm9 a2r)t,khc eo mploefDt airowni msihd'dsl e
perdiI.on t hehmew ovae" spfoarct ehj ea smainn(des "u per)iiotmn tp hoes ed
oppreesxscilvuoeshf ii vsittaoynr adin ctailn noamriraaIntn1 i9 v9b0ee,.t wteheen
persaonntdah lce o llecti[vweaa,sr ]i" dbdbilurett,1 h"9i 9bn6i rth "bae came
cloiund [Dahrawni"Ads n.hdb' yMs u]r aeln'(ds2 00t0h)ew,ra e"s n o cilno ud
[his]In oeh laenpvdle annI oe n[t hsti esm]p Ilnes.tt"eh aedr teh vweoa wsie nl his
namteh,le et teWra w",l otyoa lbw ihretrhpe ovsesr Biyb2 l05e0,D. a"r wish would
retutrhnr,ot uhgmehe diourvm i soifao lnm ond btlhofleso swooefhmr is bs,i rth
inM arcthor, e vismietm otarhnyemd e anoifnp gl aacnetd,h "eI i"np lace,
througho tsheevre irsEnaex lli hvlileesa,s s,t cloolpnlogee cDmti.ea dl elcytriicc,,
anddr aompae nuepadn eswp afocrte i mien phoiesta "r lya,t einnefusswsei"dt h
agaen sdu rvwihviialdtleo enso" tg goe nitnlteo g �t)Onhdia gth t:'
VI II
-
Iitns e cestosr eaDarday r wsit srha'n sforomfa lttoihnoegn opvoteehrmme o st ac­
complishyeeda orfifsft l ehi:eitfe nsh seh iiftnd ictfriooman gnoamnhidic g hly
metapdhroirtvioasec t roofml ilx aendcd o nverssapteietochpnheaa; rl a dboex­es
tweperni vaanptdue b lpirce,sa ennadcb es etnhcee ;bb eotnwdte heienn dividual
antdh eea rptlha,ac nend,a turiel;l utmhieon fta htceio onnt empSouarfiea sr­y
themteitch aotsd he es seonfpc oee ktniocw loend gitenh,te e orfrfa ecaeas nodn
thsee nsiomrayg,i nattihroeen at lhar,ene daa nlid tv sa nishitnhg"e I wi"hs e re
interchwaintg(hea annbdosl tpe frl oitmi )to st haenrhd;i asaff ir with dialogue
antdh ea(ttercraa, gb isuorrod t,h ertwpoi rsoeda)ul cyere ipsciu cgi e neIrDfia sr.­
wisfrhi'estn hdge r ecartiE tdiwcaS radhi adad l eantionwga rd tDhaer wniosvhe l,
wausn doubatp eldalyywa rthi egahTrtht ih.sa bde eenv idseinnhtci yeso uth,
whetihnpe ore lmisAk Seo ldDireearmo sfW hiLtiel (iwersi itn1t 9e6an7n n do w
ap art Noofr wtehlgeii vaen- efirlfomr-mpaIndceenot fti htSeyo lu[ 200i8n] ,
whiDcahr wiifessa ht uorreWd ri)tg it not hLei gohfatR ifi(e1 970)h,ib sro irl ­in
liaenatrp lryob soeoa kni dtt si ptileeDc iea,ro ifOe rsd inSaorrryo( w1 9)7.3
YetD arwwiasnshe vceorm fortwaibtllhoe o kbiancagkht i gsl orpiaosHutes.
waasn e mbodiomfee xnital sbe o,te hx istaennmdte itaalp hsytsaibtceeay,lo nd
thmee reelxyt earnnbdae ly,om nedt apihnho iirsn, t erreiloarwt iitsohena lsnf d
arNta.t uraanlpdle yr,hr aepflse xDiavrewleiyxs,ph r eafls eseetdri ensge ravta tion
myd estioir nec lhuedrteeh t ew ool der Iv oSlWeuhemaI etW s an ta nEdl even
PlanTerutest,.h t ew aor lei ntkoael da rhgiesrt orretiehclaia nMslu roarlE xile,
sintchfeero mevro luwmeerwser itdtuernti hnfiegr Psatl estinian Intifada, which
begian1n 9 8a7m ,a jdoerfi neivnegin ntt h ied enatnihdto ypo efasd ispossessed
peopalniedrn, e sptoton hsseep ecottfah cpele ea ced sa cDcaokrrnweiwwso hu ld
follBouwt. miomrpeo ritnta hnettsw,evo o luDmaersw hiaswdhr ithtiCesan n to
GenehriaNslo ,t eboofaoR ke tutroMny N atiLvaenh di,Os m erodse,s tabilizing
IX