Ounsi el-Hajj’s 79th birthday

Ounsi el-Hajj is a Lebanese poet.

Site Description
The poet, translator, and journalist Ounsi el-Hajj was born in South Lebanon on this date in 1937. His work is rooted in Arab culture and politics, but it also celebrates global citizenship and the borderless joys of nature. In his poem "Is This You or the Tale?" el-Hajj travels from the fifth century to Beirut's Golden Age, settling somewhere timeless: "And as my age / is counted in years, / likewise I wander outside this necklace / like drops of pearl."

In today's Doodle, el-Hajj wanders among sunflowers and butterflies, at home in a universal landscape — yet uniquely himself, sporting his trademark spectacles and suit. El-Hajj's work reminds us that although every birthplace is a particular spot and a precise moment, it's also a thread in the fabric of history that makes next-door neighbors of us all.