Marcel Khalife Revisits Darwish’s Poetry After 50 Years, Seeking Hope Amid War

Lebanese musician Marcel Khalife is returning to the poetry of Mahmoud Darwish after 50 years, revisiting an artistic connection shaped by exile and the enduring weight of conflict.

From Paris, Khalife draws on his musical memories of the Palestinian poet, with a lone oud accompanying a fresh interpretation of verses that have remained central to his artistic journey.

The return is more than an exercise in nostalgia. Against the backdrop of war, Khalife’s reworking seeks to draw hope from poetry and music while honouring the martyrs of Palestine and Lebanon.

Half a century of exile informs this encounter with Darwish’s words. The spare musical setting places the focus on the poetry and on Khalife’s continuing search for meaning within it.

His return presents art as a form of resistance to oppression: a way to remember those killed, confront suffering and keep hope alive.