The Cypress - “The Cypress Broke
Darwish writes, “The cypress broke like a minaret, and slept on/the road upon its chapped shadow, dark, green,/as it has always been.” The cypress’s breakage is a disconsolate episode whose melancholy is amplified by the darkness of its shadow. Such disconsolateness affirms that nature laments too, especially when circumstances are not apt for its sustenance.
Ecofeminism - “The Cypress Broke”
Darwish reports, “And a girl said: The sky today/is incomplete because the cypress broke./And a young man said: But the sky today is complete/because the cypress broke.” The girls’ retort, which is incongruous to the man’s rejoinder, is an allegory to Ecofeminism. Femaleness qualifies the girl to recognize the materiality of the cypress. For the girl, the breakage directly stimulates nature’s incompleteness.
Abandoned Theater - “I Have a Seat in the Abandoned Theater”
Darwish confesses, “I have a seat in the abandoned theatre/in Beirut. I might forget, and I might recall/the final act without longing ... not because of anything/other than that the play was not written/skilfully.” Figuratively, the abandoned theatre denotes Darwish’s hollow life. Perhaps, the blankness is occasioned by an unsociable life characterized by limited associates. The fewness of friends infers that there would be scant participants in Darwish’s autobiography; hence, the autobiography would not be stimulating enough to mesmerize the audience.
Outlines - “To a Young Poet”
Darwish insists, “Don’t believe our outlines, forget theme and begin from your own words./As if you are the first to write poetry or the last poet.” Darwish dissuades young poets from delimited outlines that embody inflexibility. Disregarding outlines liberates the young poets to exploit their realistic voices optimally.
