The BBC says, "It is easy to describe Mahmoud as a national poet, but he is much more than that."

The New York Times says Darwish was "one of the greatest contemporary Arab poets"

The Los Angeles Times: "Despite his consistently nationalist themes, Darwish sometimes chafed under the title of Palestine's unofficial poet laureate."

Jordanian bloggers grieve.

The Lebanon Star presses for continued struggle in Darwish's name

The United Arab Emirates National says "every cause needs a poet; in the late Mahmoud Darwish, Palestine got much more."

Haaretz says "his greatness was rooted in his ability to capture and then forge the collective memory of the Palestinian refugee experience in his poems."

The Jerusalem Post weighs Darwish inspired bleeding hearts vs. open minds.

The Telegraph on one of Palestine's "most essential treasures."

The Financial Times places Darwish at the center of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

The PLO's farewell program.