The Pain and Grief of Palestinian Children in the Poetry of Mahmoud Darvish

Mahmoud Darvish is regarded as a pioneer of Palestinian resistance poetry, who has devoted his poetry to the Palestine's ideals and tried to describe the pains and desires of Palestinians, especially that of children whom Darvish regarded as Palestine's future. He also sees the spirit of resistance in them and expects them not to forget their parent's blood and to be honest guardians and defenders of their territory.
Mahmoud Darvish has witnessed the scenes of war and bombardment since his childhood and he has tasted the bitter taste of homelessness, exile, poverty, and bereavement; he has witnessed the pain and grief of his hometown children, therefore, he can speak of their pains and grieves effectively and frankly. This study tries to describe and analyze Palestinian children's pains and grieves in Mahmoud Darvish's poetry through a descriptive and content analysis method. The study of Darvish's poetry from this viewpoint shows that the following subjects compose his main poetical themes: the unfortunate status of displaced Palestinian children in exile and custody, poverty and bereavement, insecurity and genocide of children and their families, and the spiritual turmoil caused by witnessing these disasters. His poetry is a mirror reflecting feelings of oppressed children whose rights have been violated, and now as a poet, he expresses this before human thought and conscience.