The departure of "the Sheikh of Palestinian Poets" Haroun Hashem Rasheed in Canada

Sorrow prevailed over the Palestinian cultural and literary circles on Monday after the departure of the poet Haroun Hashim Rasheed, who passed away in the city of Mississauga, Canada, at the age of 93.

He was mourned by senior Palestinian officials, foremost among them President Mahmoud Abbas, and Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, who described him as the "Sheikh of Palestinian Poets".

Palestinian Minister of Culture Atef Abu Saif said in a statement: "Our condolence for the great deceased is what he left of a significant impact and legacy in culture, poetry, and awareness for the generations who preserve the name of the struggler and poet who dedicated his life for the causes of his people and homeland".

The Palestinian Ministry of Culture had chosen him as the Cultural Personality of the Year in 2014, and he received the Jerusalem Medal in 1990 and was awarded the Medal of Culture, Science, and Arts by the Palestinian President in 2016.

The late poet was born in the Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza in 1927 and issued nearly twenty poetry collections, including "Return of the Strangers", "Gaza in the Line of Fire", "Until Our People Return", "Ship of Wrath", "Two Letters", "Journey of the Storm", "Fedayeen", "Diary of a Lover", "Diaries of Steadfastness and Sadness", "Carving in the Dark", "Stone Revolution", "Birds of Paradise", and "A Rose on the Forehead of Jerusalem".

He was given many titles, including "Poet of Return", "Poet of the Revolution", "Poet of Resolution 194", and "The Poetic Historian of the Palestinian Cause".

Some of the great Arab artists sang his poems, such as Fairuz, Mohamed Fawzi, Karam Mahmoud, Mohamed Qandil, Mohammed Abdu, and Talal Maddah.

He also wrote poetic plays, including "The Question" starring Karam Motawea and Suhair Al-Morshidy, and "The Fall of Barlev" which was presented at the National Theater in Cairo in 1974, in addition to many series and septets he wrote for the Voice of the Arabs radio, and a number of Arab radios.

Reuters