VOA标准英语2008年-Palestinians Bury 'National Poet' Mahmoud Darwi

Palestinians have bidden an emotional farewell to a national and cultural icon¹. Robert Berger reports from the VOA bureau in Jerusalem.
　
Palestinian relatives and officials gather around the coffin² of Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, who gave a voice to the Palestinians' longing³ for independence, during his funeral in Ramallah, 13 Aug. 2008

Thousands of Palestinians attended an elaborate funeral for Mahmoud Darwish who was known as their "National Poet." Eight pall-bearers in military uniforms carried the casket, draped in a Palestinian flag, as a military band played solemnly on drums. It amounted to a "state funeral," the first in the West Bank since the legendary⁴ Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat died in 2004.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described Darwish as "the master of the word and wisdom, the symbol who expressed our national feeling, our human condition and our declaration of independence."

Darwish's poetry dealt with the themes of exile and the hope of return, both of which he experienced personally. His village was destroyed during Israel's War of Independence in 1948, and his family fled. He lived in exile in Cairo, Beirut, Tunis and Paris until returning to the West Bank in 1996.
　
Mahmoud Darwish, 15 July 2007

Darwish was not optimistic when he died Saturday at the age of 67. His most famous line was: "There is much on this land worth living for." But he was disappointed by peace talks with Israel and Palestinian infighting, and he died without realizing his dream of an independent Palestinian state.

 

1 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

2 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

3 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

4 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。