Sacred Femininity and the Poetics of National Identity in Mahmoud Darwish’s Work

Abstract

The current research is aimed at investigating the crucial importance of women as a literary subject in the poetic works by Mahmoud Darwish, as in his poetry, women transcend simple personal feeling to signify the sacredness of homeland and national identity. On the basis of analysis of images in Darwish's poetry, the research proves that the female gender in poetry is represented not only as a mother, lover, and friend but also as a metaphor of eternity associated with Palestine. In terms of Darwish's symbolic style and use of metaphors, the details of routine life such as bread, coffee, and physical touch become sacred symbols associated with belonging and resistance to oppression. Consequently, through the analysis of poetic vision of Darwish, his unique achievement within the scope of Arabic literature is identified, as the researcher creates the feminine epic sanctifying women in poetry as a symbol of love and perseverance.