Amin Nakhlah: Diary of the Countryside
Diary of the Countryside is a pastoral festival and a banquet of sensitivity that appeals to the reader’s five senses and awakens his body and mind from the slumber of winter and the chilliness of frost. It is a tribute to nature and man and a symphony of joy and contentment all wrapped up in a didactic poem that strives to achieve the ultimate moral lesson combining literature, art, mythology, liturgy and biblical wisdom in a plethora of multidimensional facets. It is a delightfully exquisite literary and artistic “ballad” that sings the praise of the village and skillfully juxtaposes it to life in the city. It does not take the reader long to conclude where the author’s loyalty and preference lies.
The book can be divided into three different parts: the first part focuses on glorifying “nature” and on humanizing it in the most “Romantic” and idealistic sense. Part two addresses the creation of man, his likeness to his Creator, and his relationship with nature. It also highlights man’s dilemma and his attempt to navigate his way in this world where he finds himself struggling between obeying God, questioning His command, and needing to spiritually survive and earn redemption in a world immersed in matter and surrounded by temptations and enticements. As a tragic figure, man is given a soul, a mind, and a body, but he is also endowed with free will. Hence, his struggle with the Biblical saying that “the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” The third part can be viewed in a rather theological and scriptural framework glorifying “God” and His creation in the most sublime manner possible.
The author of this book, Amin Rashid Nakhlah (July 25, 1901 - May 13, 1976) was born in Mount Lebanon. He was a Lebanese poet, writer, editor, lawyer, and politician. He descended from a family that included many accomplished literary figures who were also pillars of the Lebanese society at the time.
The book can be divided into three different parts: the first part focuses on glorifying “nature” and on humanizing it in the most “Romantic” and idealistic sense. Part two addresses the creation of man, his likeness to his Creator, and his relationship with nature. It also highlights man’s dilemma and his attempt to navigate his way in this world where he finds himself struggling between obeying God, questioning His command, and needing to spiritually survive and earn redemption in a world immersed in matter and surrounded by temptations and enticements. As a tragic figure, man is given a soul, a mind, and a body, but he is also endowed with free will. Hence, his struggle with the Biblical saying that “the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” The third part can be viewed in a rather theological and scriptural framework glorifying “God” and His creation in the most sublime manner possible.
The author of this book, Amin Rashid Nakhlah (July 25, 1901 - May 13, 1976) was born in Mount Lebanon. He was a Lebanese poet, writer, editor, lawyer, and politician. He descended from a family that included many accomplished literary figures who were also pillars of the Lebanese society at the time.
