Ounsi el-Hajj

Ounsi el-Hajj (27 July 1937 - 18 February 2014) was a Lebanese poet, journalist, and translator. Quotes Poetry Rendezvous A group of women around a shattered man.I said with a smile: Let's call him Qais, Laila's mad lover.The termperature sank abruptly.Never in my life did I see eyes like those with trailing dresses.The moment I left him they had, of course, to come after me.And there they waited for me, one after the other.I was in a rural city, a strange place on the banks of a river.And even without my smiling, the shattered man had tired me.It was in the old house that our meeting took place, and my jokes turned into blood.I killed them with classic boredom. An Anthology of Modern Arabic Poetry, p. 75 A Cup I shall not stop,I shall not stopBeneath the moon clothed in white,Drowning in the morrowWith a fast-beating heart.You remain mine, when I am aware,You remain mine, when I am unaware.There, in the dome of mist,In the wells of spacious churches,In festivalsAnd the glimmering of windows,The fields of folk-song,The desperate hum of din,The departure of ships and wine,You remain mine.The shriveled and the fresh stop short,And the earth stretches forth its headAnd pursues us from word to word,From birdTo birdI heard from afar,And when I tried to approach,You held up your hand.I heard from afarAnd saw the ancient peoplesThere, beyond the woods. An Anthology of Modern Arabic Poetry, p. 73 External links An Anthology of Modern Arabic Poetry, edited by Mounah A. Khouri, Mounah Abdallah Khouri, Hamid Algar. University of California Press, London, England, 1974 Category:1937 births Category:2014 deaths Category:People from Beirut Category:Muslims from Lebanon Category:Arabic poets Category:Poets from Lebanon Category:Journalists Category:Translators from Lebanon