Mahmoud Darwish “Think upon Others”
The following is a short but sweet poem from the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish “Think upon others”. There are, of course, numerous translations of this poem, which are all worth consulting.
قصيدة محمود درويش
فكّر بغيرك
وأنت تُعدُّ فطورك، فكر بغيركَ
لا تَنْسَ قوتَ الحمام
وأنتَ تخوضُ حروبكَ، فكَر بغيركَ
لا تنس مَنْ يطلبون السلام
وأنتَ تسدد فاتورةَ الماء، فكَّر بغيركَ
مَنْ يرضَعُون الغمامٍ
وأنتَ تعودُ إلى البيت، بيتكَ، فكَّر بغيركَ
لا تنس شعب الخيامَ
وأنت تنام وتُحصي الكواكبَ، فكرِّ بغيركَ
ثمَّةَ مَنْ لم يجد حيّزاً للمنام
وأنت تحرّر نفسك بالاستعارات، فكَّر بغيركَ
مَنْ فقدوا حقَهم بالكلام
وأنت تفكر بالآخرين البعيدين، فكِّر بنفسكَ
قُل: ليتني شمعة في الظلام
____________________________________________________________________
Translation
Poem by Mahmoud Darwish
“think upon others”
When you prepare your breakfast, think upon others
Do not forget to feed the pigeons
When you engage in your wars, think upon others
Do not forget those who demand peace
As you pay your water bill, think upon others
Who seek sustenance from the clouds, not a tap
And when you return home – to your house – think upon others
Such as those who live in tents
When you fall asleep counting planets, think upon others
Who cannot find a place to sleep
And as you search for meaning with fancy metaphors, think upon others
Who have lost their right to speak
And when you think of others, far away, think of yourself
And say: I am a candle in the darkness
Translation by Hamish Kinnear
The Edinburgh Arabic Initiative 