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American Actor Reads Palestinian Poem by Mahmoud Darwish

American Actor Reads Palestinian Poem by Mahmoud Darwish

Leaders02-05-2025
A video went viral on social media showing the American actor Richard Gere reading a poem by Mahmoud Darwish, a celebrated Palestinian poet and author.
'This is a poem by Mahmoud Darwish, who I met many years ago,' Gere said.
As you prepare your breakfast, think of others (do not forget the pigeon's food). As you conduct your wars, think of others (do not forget those who seek peace). As you pay your water bill, think of others (those who are nursed by clouds). As you return home, to your home, think of others (do not forget the people of the camps). As you sleep and count the stars, think of others (those who have nowhere to sleep). As you liberate yourself in metaphor, think of others (those who have lost the right to speak). As you think of others far away, think of yourself
(say: 'If only I were a candle in the dark'). @ajplus
The Amercian actor Richard Gere read a poem by Mahmoud Darwish, a celebrated Palestinian poet and author whose work articulated the struggles, exile and identity of the Palestinian people. #MahmoudDarwish #Palestine #Gaza #Palestinian #Poem #Poetry #Falasteen #Israel #Solidarity #RichardGere
♬ 10 minutes, nature, ambient, meditation, yoga(952470) – Gloveity Mahmoud Darwish Mahmoud Darwish
As a Palestinian poet, Darwish explored themes of struggle, displacement, and identity.
He received several awards and honors such as the Ibn Sina Prize, the Lenin Peace Prize, the 1969 Lotus Prize from the Union of Afro-Asian Writers and France's Knight of Arts and Belles Lettres medal in 1997.
Furthermore, he was awarded the 2001 Prize for Cultural Freedom from the Lannan Foundation, the Moroccan Wissam of Intellectual Merit handed to him by King Mohammad VI of Morocco, and the USSR's Stalin Peace Prize.
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