In my last interview with Hasan Nasrallah four weeks ago, I asked him how he felt sitting across the table (in the Lebanease national dialogue committee) with Samir Ja`ja`, Walid Jumblat, and Amin Gemayyel. He cited this line of poetry (by Al-Mutanabbi) in response:
ومن نكد الدنيا على الحر أن يرى ** عدواً له ما من صداقته بد
(One of the misfortunes of life for a free man is to see**an enemy of his with whom friendship is necessary)