--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If there must be a moon, let it be high…" description: "\"“If there must be a moon, let it be high, a high moon made in Baghdad, neither Arab, nor Persian, nor claimed by the goddesses all around us.”\" — Mahmo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/mahmoud-darwish-6881_baghdad_if-there-must-be-a-moon-let-it-be-high-a_2840365.jpg" --- # If there must be a moon, let it be high, a high moon made… ![“If there must be a moon, let it be high, a high moon made in Baghdad, neither Arab, nor Persian, nor claimed by the goddesses all around us.” quote by Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/mahmoud-darwish-6881_baghdad_if-there-must-be-a-moon-let-it-be-high-a_2840365.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/mahmoud-darwish-6881_baghdad_if-there-must-be-a-moon-let-it-be-high-a_2840365.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/mahmoud-darwish-6881_baghdad_if-there-must-be-a-moon-let-it-be-high-a_2840365.jpg) > ““If there must be a moon, let it be high, a high moon made in Baghdad, neither Arab, nor Persian, nor claimed by the goddesses all around us.”” [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poet imagines a moon that belongs to no nation, symbolizing a universal, unclaimed beauty beyond cultural claims. **In simple terms:** A moon belonging to no one represents universal beauty. Key Takeaway Seek shared humanity beyond borders. Themes poetry identity universalism Mood hopeful reflective Type literary spiritual When to use this quote - artistic expression - intercultural dialogue - peacebuilding - spiritual reflection Key Concepts cultural symbolism nationalism Questions to Reflect On - How can art foster common identity? - What does a "high moon" signify for you? A Different Perspective National pride can resist shared symbols. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baghdad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baghdad/) [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) ## Related quotes > [One piece of good sense would be more memorable than a monument as high as the moon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/one-piece-of-good-sense-would-be-more-memorable-than-a-monument-as/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [We're giving them a real lesson today. Heavy doesn't accurately describe the level of casualties we have inflicted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/we-re-giving-them-a-real-lesson-today-heavy-doesn-t-accurately/) [Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/) > [I firmly believed we should not march into Baghdad ...To occupy Iraq would instantly shatter our coalition, turning the whole Arab world against us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-w-bush/i-firmly-believed-we-should-not-march-into-baghdad-to-occupy-iraq/) [George H. W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-w-bush/) > [They are going to surrender or be burned in their tanks. They will surrender, it is they who will surrender.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/they-are-going-to-surrender-or-be-burned-in-their-tanks-they-will/) [Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/) > [I think that were I in the middle of an obsession to write about, say, sudden oak death in California or my grandchildren or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/i-think-that-were-i-in-the-middle-of-an-obsession-to-write-about-say/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [If the U.N. secretary-general withdraws the inspectors from Baghdad ... this means that the secretary-general has abandoned its own responsibility in maintaining peace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naji-sabri/if-the-u-n-secretary-general-withdraws-the-inspectors-from-baghdad/) [Naji Sabri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naji-sabri/) > [There are people who haven't faced the reality of what has gone on in Iraq. 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I joined my brigade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janis-karpinski/the-mission-statement-was-ordered-and-it-sent-the-800th-mp-brigade/) [Janis Karpinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janis-karpinski/) > [The authority of the civil defense ... issued a warning to the civilian population not to pick up any of those pencils because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/the-authority-of-the-civil-defense-issued-a-warning-to-the-civilian/) [Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/) > [Our military superiority is so great - it's far greater than it was in the Gulf War, and the Gulf War was over in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/our-military-superiority-is-so-great-it-s-far-greater-than-it-was-in/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [What is at stake is how to answer the potential threat Iraq represents with the risk of proliferation of WMD. Baghdad's regime did use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-chirac/what-is-at-stake-is-how-to-answer-the-potential-threat-iraq/) [Jacques Chirac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-chirac/) > [Almost immediately, I remember right when Tikrit even fell, a few days after Baghdad fell, there was talks of insurgency, there was talks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farnaz-fassihi/almost-immediately-i-remember-right-when-tikrit-even-fell-a-few-days/) Farnaz Fassihi > [My dad's Israeli. He was born in Baghdad to Iraqi Jews. Then, at age two, his parents wanted to move to their homeland and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-yamin/my-dad-s-israeli-he-was-born-in-baghdad-to-iraqi-jews-then-at-age-two/) [Elliott Yamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-yamin/) > [“I know a feeling like that only comes once in a lifetime, and I think you should follow your heart’s desires. I believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmad-ardalan/i-know-a-feeling-like-that-only-comes-once-in-a-lifetime-and-i-think/) [Ahmad Ardalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmad-ardalan/) ## More by Mahmoud Darwish > [“I see a bird carrying me and carrying you, with us as its wings, beyond the dream, to a journey that has no end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/i-see-a-bird-carrying-me-and-carrying-you-with-us-as-its-wings-beyond/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [Life defined only as the opposite of death is not life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/life-defined-only-as-the-opposite-of-death-is-not-life/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [My love, I fear the silence of your hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/my-love-i-fear-the-silence-of-your-hands/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [“I'll search in mythology and archeology and in every -ology to my old name. one of the goddesses of Canaan will side with me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/i-ll-search-in-mythology-and-archeology-and-in-every-ology-to-my-old/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [I see what I want of Love... I see horses making the meadow dance, fifty guitars sighing, and a swarm of bees suckling the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/i-see-what-i-want-of-love-i-see-horses-making-the-meadow-dance-fifty/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [I have learned and dismantled all the words in order to draw from them a single word: Home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/i-have-learned-and-dismantled-all-the-words-in-order-to-draw-from/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [My homeland is not a suitcase, and I am no traveller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/my-homeland-is-not-a-suitcase-and-i-am-no-traveller/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [Where can I free myself of the homeland in my body?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/where-can-i-free-myself-of-the-homeland-in-my-body/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [She does not love you. Your metaphors thrill her you are her poet. But that's all there's to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/she-does-not-love-you-your-metaphors-thrill-her-you-are-her-poet-but/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [I've built my homeland, I've even founded my state - in my language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/i-ve-built-my-homeland-i-ve-even-founded-my-state-in-my-language/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [“Please take your time. I want you to kill me slowly so I can write my last poem to my wife's heart. They laughed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/please-take-your-time-i-want-you-to-kill-me-slowly-so-i-can-write-my/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [I want to find a language that transforms language itself into steel for the spirit--a language to use against these sparkling insects, these jets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/i-want-to-find-a-language-that-transforms-language-itself-into-steel/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [Nothing, nothing justifies terrorism,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/nothing-nothing-justifies-terrorism/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [Sometimes I feel as if I am read before I write. When I write a poem about my mother, Palestinians think my mother is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/sometimes-i-feel-as-if-i-am-read-before-i-write-when-i-write-a-poem/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [... For me it is essential, essential for the poet to have a new toast, new songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/for-me-it-is-essential-essential-for-the-poet-to-have-a-new-toast-new/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) [Explore all 94 Mahmoud Darwish quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) ## More Baghdad quotes > [“I know a feeling like that only comes once in a lifetime, and I think you should follow your heart’s desires. I believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmad-ardalan/i-know-a-feeling-like-that-only-comes-once-in-a-lifetime-and-i-think/) [Ahmad Ardalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmad-ardalan/) > [My dad's Israeli. He was born in Baghdad to Iraqi Jews. Then, at age two, his parents wanted to move to their homeland and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-yamin/my-dad-s-israeli-he-was-born-in-baghdad-to-iraqi-jews-then-at-age-two/) [Elliott Yamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-yamin/) > [Almost immediately, I remember right when Tikrit even fell, a few days after Baghdad fell, there was talks of insurgency, there was talks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farnaz-fassihi/almost-immediately-i-remember-right-when-tikrit-even-fell-a-few-days/) Farnaz Fassihi > [What is at stake is how to answer the potential threat Iraq represents with the risk of proliferation of WMD. Baghdad's regime did use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-chirac/what-is-at-stake-is-how-to-answer-the-potential-threat-iraq/) [Jacques Chirac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-chirac/) > [Our military superiority is so great - it's far greater than it was in the Gulf War, and the Gulf War was over in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/our-military-superiority-is-so-great-it-s-far-greater-than-it-was-in/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [The authority of the civil defense ... issued a warning to the civilian population not to pick up any of those pencils because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/the-authority-of-the-civil-defense-issued-a-warning-to-the-civilian/) [Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/) > [The mission statement was ordered, and it sent the 800th MP Brigade, effective the first of July, up to Baghdad. I joined my brigade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janis-karpinski/the-mission-statement-was-ordered-and-it-sent-the-800th-mp-brigade/) [Janis Karpinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janis-karpinski/) > [The senior officer who met with reporters in Baghdad said there had been 21 car bombings in the capital in May, and 126 in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-lowry/the-senior-officer-who-met-with-reporters-in-baghdad-said-there-had/) [Rich Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-lowry/) > [There are people who haven't faced the reality of what has gone on in Iraq. They still think that the old central state is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-w-galbraith/there-are-people-who-haven-t-faced-the-reality-of-what-has-gone-on-in/) Peter W. Galbraith > [If the U.N. secretary-general withdraws the inspectors from Baghdad ... this means that the secretary-general has abandoned its own responsibility in maintaining peace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naji-sabri/if-the-u-n-secretary-general-withdraws-the-inspectors-from-baghdad/) [Naji Sabri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naji-sabri/) > [I think that were I in the middle of an obsession to write about, say, sudden oak death in California or my grandchildren or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/i-think-that-were-i-in-the-middle-of-an-obsession-to-write-about-say/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [They are going to surrender or be burned in their tanks. 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