Mohamed Al-Maghout

Mohamed Al-Maghout Poems

Mohamed Al-Maghout Biography

Muhammed al-Maghut (1934- April 3, 2006) (Arabic: محمد الماغوط‎) was a Syrian writer and poet. He was born in Salamiya, Syria. Muhammad Maghout was credited as the father of the Arabic free verse poetry, liberating the Arabic poems from the traditional form and revolutionizing the structure of the poem.[by whom?] He wrote for theater, TV and cinema. Maghut's work combined satire with descriptions of social misery and malaise, illustrating what he viewed as an ethical decline among rulers in the region. Some of his themes included the problems of injustice and totalitarian governments. He co-operated with Syrian actors Dureid Lahham and Nihad Qal'i to produce some of the region's most popular and acclaimed theatrical works, such as Kasak ya Watan (Toast to the homeland) and Ghorbeh (Estrangement). Al-Maghut was also known for his book "I will betray my homeland", a collection of essays. Al-Maghut died at the age of 72 in April 2006.)

The Best Poem Of Mohamed Al-Maghout

Shade And Noon Sun

All the fields of the world
At odds with two small lips
All the streets of history
At odds with two bare feet.

Love,
They travel and we wait
They have gallows
We have necks
They have pearls
And we have freckles and moles
They own the night, the dawn, the afternoon sun and the day
And we own skin and bones.

We plant under the noonday sun,
And they eat in the shade
Their teeth are white as rice
Our teeth dark as desolate forests,
Their breasts are soft as silk
Our breasts dusty as execution squares
And yet, we are the kings of the world:
Their homes are buried in bills and accounts
Our homes are buried in autumn leaves
In their pockets they carry the addresses
of thieves and traitors
In ours we carry the addresses
of rivers and thunderstorms.
They own windows
We own the winds
They own the ships
We own the waves
They own the medals
We own the mud
They own the walls and balconies
We own the ropes and the daggers.

And now beloved
Come, let us sleep on the pavements.

Translated by: May Jayyusi and John Heath-Stubbs

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