Stranger in a Distant City

Stranger in a Distant City

Mahmoud Darwish Translated by: Denys Johnson-Davies/The Music of Human Flesh. When I was young And handsome, The rose was my home, Springs my seas. The rose became a wound, The springs a thirst. ‘Have you changed much?’ ‘Not much.’ When we return like the wind To our house, Look hard at my forehead And you will find the rose a date palm, The springs sweat. You will find me as I was- Young And handsome.