Think of Others by Mahmoud Darwish

Think of Others
Mahmoud Darwish
Translated by Mohammed Shaheen

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”).

فكّر بغيرك
Mahmoud Darwish

وأنتَ تعدّ فطورك، فكّر بغيرك
[ لا تنسَ قوت الحمام ]

وأنتَ تخوض حروبك، فكّر بغيرك
[ لا تنس من يطلبون السلام ]

وأنتَ تسدّد فاتورة الماء، فكّر بغيرك
[ من يرضعون الغمام ]

وأنتَ تعود إلى البيت، بيتك، فكّر بغيرك
[ لا تنس شعب الخيام ]

وأنت تنام وتحصي الكواكب، فكّر بغيرك
[ ثمّة من لم يجد حيّزاً للمنام ]

وأنت تحرّر نفسك بالاستعارات، فكّر بغيرك
[ من فقدوا حقّهم في الكلام ]

وأنت تفكّر بالآخرين البعيدين، فكّر بنفسك
[ قل: ليتني شمعةٌ في الظلام ]

SELECTED BY ZEINA HASHEM BECK

I chose Mahmoud Darwish’s well-known poem, “Think of Others,” precisely because it is well-known, sometimes to the point of dilution. Poems like “Think of Others,” brilliant and deceptively simple, often get shared under the banner of empathy, humanity, or (God help us) mindfulness. I’m not opposed to these concepts per se, but to the way they can be used to strip a poem of its depths. Darwish’s poem is about empathy and humanity, yes, because it is inherently Palestinian. Darwish’s poem is about love, yes, because it is about justice. To me, when he’s asking you (and himself, probably) to think of others, it’s not in a liberal, pity-inducing way. This poem questions, “What does it really mean to think of others? And how often do we fail to do this?” Today, the poem keeps asking, “What does it mean to think of Palestine in a time of genocide? Are we capable of being a candle in the dark? And if so, then how?”

Additionally, I love the poem’s use of repetition and variation. Its complex straightforwardness. Its direct address. Its parentheses. And its unexpected ending.

ABOUT ZEINA HASHEM BECK

Zeina Hashem Beck is a Lebanese poet. Her collection of 40 palindromic sonnets, titled This Was Supposed to Be About Beauty, is forthcoming from Penguin Poets in Spring 2027. She’s the winner of the 2023 Arab American Book Award for Poetry for O, which was named a Best Book of the Year by Literary Hub and The New York Public Library. She’s also the author of Louder than Hearts and To Live in Autumn, as well as the chapbooks 3arabi Song and There Was and How Much There Was. She’s the co-editor, with Hala Alyan, of the anthology We Call to the Eye and the Night: Love Poems by Writers of Arab Descent. Zeina currently resides in California.