Mahmoud Darwish leaves behind a marvellous legacy of creativity, thoughtfulness and perseverance. One of the Arab world's greatest poets, Darwish embodied the essence of Palestinianhood.
Every Palestinian, young and old, knew his work and all Arabs were proud of his achievements. In a world full of ignorance and misinformation, Darwish's writing provided an insight into life under siege. He revolutionised free poetry and spoke on behalf of the voiceless, telling tales of their daily plight.
He himself was a victim of Israeli occupation, having fled Palestine in 1948, only to return a year later and live the life of struggle. Because he was critical of Israel, he was detained several times in the 1960s before going into self-imposed exile in 1970.
Darwish defended the Palestinian cause at every opportunity and gave his people one reason to be proud, having won so many international awards. He didn't limit himself to poetry and prose.
In 1988 he wrote the official Palestinian Declaration of Independence and served on the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation. In 1993 like several other Palestinian intellectuals, he resigned in protest against the Oslo Accords.
Darwish's writings are masterful because they explain in simple terms his longing for justice, humanity and unity. We understood through his work the anger the frustration and the hope of every Palestinian.
Until his very last days, Darwish penned his feelings and thoughts, not necessarily on Palestine alone, but also on other topics. By all standards, he was a great observer.
Tomorrow will witness the biggest state funeral in the occupied Palestinian territories since the death of former Palestinian president Yasser Arafat in 2004. And rightly so.
Honouring Darwish means listening to his message of hope and justice, working towards unifying Palestinians and never giving up. An epoch-making poet is how one can begin to describe this late thinker, who passed away on Saturday.
