A River Dies of Thirst: Darwish’s Gloomy Prognosis of Dispossessed, Displaced, and Trauma-afflicted Exiled Palestinians

Abstract

The paper applies the theory of transnationalism to Mahmoud Darwish’s A River Dies of Thirst, exploring how his poetry reflects the traumatizing experiences of Palestinians, their perpetual displacement, and their lost identity. As a poet Darwish personally underwent psychological, physical, and emotional suffering in exile when Zionists imposed forced expulsion. His poetry is teemed with Palestinians’ heart-wrenching narratives of the dispossession of their belongings and the irreparable loss of their loved ones. A translation approach analyzes Darwish’s depiction of exile, fragmented identity, and territorial loss, focusing on how contemporary geopolitics influences these experiences. The Study finds that Darwish’s poetry powerfully expresses the Palestinian reality of landlessness, forced diaspora, and the diminishing of their homeland, creating a profound sense of loss and dislocation.