{"id":12570,"date":"2016-07-27T16:12:54","date_gmt":"2016-07-27T16:12:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/arabic\/?p=12570"},"modified":"2016-07-27T16:15:21","modified_gmt":"2016-07-27T16:15:21","slug":"onsi-el-hajj-1937-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/arabic\/onsi-el-hajj-1937-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"Onsi El-Hajj; (1937 \u2013 2014)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Ahlan, Arabic lovers! Today Google Doodle Middle East celebrates the 79th<\/sup> Birthday of the Lebanese poet Onsi El-Hajj \u0623\u064f\u0646\u0633\u064a<\/strong> \u0627\u0644\u062d\u0627\u062c<\/strong>. Onsi El-Hajj is a famous contemporary poet, journalist and translator. He had a great influence on Arabic Modern Literature in general and poetry in particular. He was the first to introduce the \u201cprose poem \u0627\u0644\u0642\u0635\u064a\u062f\u0629<\/strong> \u0627\u0644\u0646\u062b\u0631\u064a\u0629<\/strong>\u201d into Arabic.<\/p>\n

\"Onsi<\/a>

Onsi El-Hajj on a Postal Stamp<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 El-Hajj was born on the 27th<\/sup> July, 1937 in Jezzine \u062c\u0632\u064a\u0646<\/strong>; a small touristic town in the south of Lebanon. His father Louis El-Hajj \u0644\u0648\u064a\u0633<\/strong> \u0627\u0644\u062d\u0627\u062c<\/strong> was a journalist and translator and there is no doubt that Onsi was greatly affected by him. His mother Mary Akl \u0645\u0627\u0631\u064a<\/strong> \u0639\u0642\u0644<\/strong> was from Qaitouli \u0642\u064a\u062a\u0648\u0644\u064a<\/strong> in south Lebanon. Onsi studied at the Lycee Francais High School \u0645\u062f\u0631\u0633\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u0644\u064a\u0633\u064a\u0647 \u0627\u0644\u0641\u0631\u0646\u0633\u064a\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u062b\u0627\u0646\u0648\u064a\u0629<\/strong> and then at La Sagesse Institute \u0645\u0639\u0647\u062f<\/strong> \u0627\u0644\u062d\u0643\u0645\u0629<\/strong>. His writing talent appeared early as he began writing and publishing his literary works while in High School.<\/p>\n

\"Onsi

Onsi El-Hajj on Google Doodle today<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In 1956, Onsi started a professional career in journalism as a director of the Cultural section of \u201cAl-Hayat \u0627\u0644\u062d\u064a\u0627\u0629<\/strong>\u201d newspaper. He then moved to \u201cAl-Nahar \u0627\u0644\u0646\u0647\u0627\u0631<\/strong>\u201d newspaper and was a permanent editor responsible for the non-political content. He expanded the daily cultural column and changed it into a daily full page. In 1964, he initiated \u201cAl-Mulhaq \u0627\u0644\u0645\u0644\u062d\u0642<\/strong>\u201d magazine as a supplementary weekly cultural publication to Al-Nahar\u201d. With others, he founded the \u201cPoetry \u0634\u0639\u0631<\/strong>\u201d magazine and published his first volume of poetry \u201cLan \u0644\u0646<\/strong>\u201d which is considered the first collection of prose poems in Arabic.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Onsi published numerous works of poetry and books between 1960 and 1994. He published six collections of his poetry: \u201cLan \u0644\u0646<\/strong>” in 1960, \u201cThe Chopped Head \u0627\u0644\u0631\u0623\u0633 \u0627\u0644\u0645\u0642\u0637\u0648\u0639<\/strong>\u201d in 1963, \u201cThe Past of Forthcoming Days \u0645\u0627\u0636\u064a<\/strong> \u0627\u0644\u0623\u064a\u0627\u0645 \u0627\u0644\u0642\u0627\u062f\u0645\u0629<\/strong>\u201d in 1965, \u201cWhat Have You Made with the Gold What Have You Done with the Rose \u0645\u0627\u0630\u0627 \u0635\u0646\u0639\u062a \u0628\u0627\u0644\u0630\u0647\u0628\u060c \u0645\u0627\u0630\u0627 \u0641\u0639\u0644\u062a \u0628\u0627\u0644\u0648\u0631\u062f\u0629<\/strong>\u201d in 1965, \u201cThe Messenger with Her Hair Long Until the Sources \u0627\u0644\u0631\u0633\u0648\u0644\u0629 \u0628\u0634\u0639\u0631\u0647\u0627 \u0627\u0644\u0637\u0648\u064a\u0644 \u062d\u062a\u0649 \u0627\u0644\u064a\u0646\u0627\u0628\u064a\u0639<\/strong>\u201d in 1975 and \u201cThe Banquet \u0627\u0644\u0648\u0644\u064a\u0645\u0629<\/strong>\u201d in 1994. He also published a book of three volumes of essays entitled \u201cWords, Words, Words \u0643\u0644\u0645\u0627\u062a\u060c \u0643\u0644\u0645\u0627\u062a\u060c \u0643\u0644\u0645\u0627\u062a<\/strong>\u201d as well as a book of two volumes of philosophical musings and aphorisms entitled \u201cKhawatem \u062e\u0648\u0627\u062a\u0645<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In 1994, Lebanese soprano\u00a0Majida El-Roumi\u00a0\u0645\u0627\u062c\u062f\u0629<\/strong> \u0627\u0644\u0631\u0648\u0645\u064a<\/strong> released an album entitled “Ibhath Anni \u0627\u0628\u062d\u062b \u0639\u0646\u064a<\/strong>” (Search For Me) which featured a title song in classical form with lyrics by Ounsi with operatic string themed music composed by Abdo Mounzer \u0639\u0628\u062f\u0647 \u0645\u0646\u0630\u0631<\/strong>. The lyrics are about a woman asking her beloved to search for her and seek out their love everywhere in order to find her.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ZIrBWBQ2G_k<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0El-Hajj was known for his hugely popular works of poetry. But he is also revered for his work as a translator after bringing Shakespeare’s plays to millions more people by translating them into Arabic. His work is rooted in Arab culture and politics, but it also celebrates global citizenship and the borderless joys of nature. Some of his works also were transtaled into many languages. After working on several magazines including Pan Arab women’s magazine \u201cAl-Hasna \u0627\u0644\u062d\u0633\u0646\u0627\u0621<\/strong>\u201d and leading Arabic daily newspaper \u201cAn-Nahar\u201d, he co-founded Beirut tabloid \u201cAl-Akhbar \u0627\u0644\u0623\u062e\u0628\u0627\u0631<\/strong>\u201d in 2006.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When interviewed about his life, Onsi once replied in characteristic humility:<\/p>\n

“I often told the same story. I don’t believe that it is of any interest to anyone.\u00a0I have more remorse than achievements, and all that I have done I did without my knowledge. When nobody used to ask me for my opinion on things, such as love and death, I willingly said the truth, but then I stopped saying it as soon as there was someone to ask.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Onsi died on February 18, 2014 after an extended illness<\/p>\n