Exile and the Seasons of Darkness
Exile and the Seasons of Darkness is a book of poetry which chronicles a dark period in the poet’s life and in the life of Lebanon that was marred by loneliness, anxiety, depression, war, destruction, and death. The poems included here also bespeak of his self-imposed exile in America and his melancholic psychological state that ensued due to his extended stay necessitated by the ongoing war in Lebanon.
In translation, this English version loses the rhyme and classical meter of the original Arabic, but it strives to capture the emotional resonance of the original and keep its thematic integrity intact.
For the poet, as for the millions of his compatriots, both in Lebanon and in diaspora, the destruction of Beirut, realistically and symbolically, was one of the most tragic events of their generation. Born in the early fifties of the last century, this generation was fortunate enough to have experienced the glory of Beirut and the greatness of its literary and artistic heritage. However, this dreamy period ended in April of 1975 with the outbreak of the so called “Lebanese Civil War” that ruined Lebanon and still rages until today in 2026.
During the two and a half decades from the mid-fifties to the mid-seventies, this generation was also influenced by the poetry of other avant-garde poets who responded to the call of Luis Awad and collaborated to destroy the rigid structure of the classical Arabic poem of mono-rhyme and mono-meter and popularized the free verse movement and the prose poem. They also introduced two important trends and elements to Modern Arabic Poetry: existentialism and the use of mythology. These poets led by Nazik al-Malaika, Badr Shakir al-Sayyab and Khalil Hawi, among others, were heavily influenced by T.S. Eliot who passed unto them the dark climate of his poetry especially his Waste Land.
This was a difficult time for poetry and poets, especially the younger generation. They were caught in an endless destructive war, and they were torn between the imagery of symbolism, the warmth and nostalgia of romanticism, the hell of existentialism, and a new, but different way of looking at, and interpreting mythology and Biblical stories and narratives. As much as they wanted to experience the revival of the East and the rebirth of its earlier glory and history, they knew that the successive defeats were an indication that peace was far off and unattainable, at least in the near future. Hence, their dilemma, frustration, depression, and personal and physical exile.
This poet aptly portrays his own personal exile with moments of joy, love, nostalgia, and a deep yearning to return to his cherished homeland and family.
In translation, this English version loses the rhyme and classical meter of the original Arabic, but it strives to capture the emotional resonance of the original and keep its thematic integrity intact.
For the poet, as for the millions of his compatriots, both in Lebanon and in diaspora, the destruction of Beirut, realistically and symbolically, was one of the most tragic events of their generation. Born in the early fifties of the last century, this generation was fortunate enough to have experienced the glory of Beirut and the greatness of its literary and artistic heritage. However, this dreamy period ended in April of 1975 with the outbreak of the so called “Lebanese Civil War” that ruined Lebanon and still rages until today in 2026.
During the two and a half decades from the mid-fifties to the mid-seventies, this generation was also influenced by the poetry of other avant-garde poets who responded to the call of Luis Awad and collaborated to destroy the rigid structure of the classical Arabic poem of mono-rhyme and mono-meter and popularized the free verse movement and the prose poem. They also introduced two important trends and elements to Modern Arabic Poetry: existentialism and the use of mythology. These poets led by Nazik al-Malaika, Badr Shakir al-Sayyab and Khalil Hawi, among others, were heavily influenced by T.S. Eliot who passed unto them the dark climate of his poetry especially his Waste Land.
This was a difficult time for poetry and poets, especially the younger generation. They were caught in an endless destructive war, and they were torn between the imagery of symbolism, the warmth and nostalgia of romanticism, the hell of existentialism, and a new, but different way of looking at, and interpreting mythology and Biblical stories and narratives. As much as they wanted to experience the revival of the East and the rebirth of its earlier glory and history, they knew that the successive defeats were an indication that peace was far off and unattainable, at least in the near future. Hence, their dilemma, frustration, depression, and personal and physical exile.
This poet aptly portrays his own personal exile with moments of joy, love, nostalgia, and a deep yearning to return to his cherished homeland and family.
