This study examines the semantic dimensions of the lexeme al ʿayn (“eye”) in Maḥmūd Darwīsh’s poem ʿĀshiq min Filasṭīn through the theoretical framework of affective context in semantics. Affective context, as a subcategory of contextual theory, plays a central role in shaping and transmitting lexical meaning in literary discourse, particularly in poetry. The research proceeds from the premise that lexical items convey not only dictionary meanings but also culturally and emotionally charged connotations that become meaningful within the emotional texture of a text. Because ʿĀshiq min Filasṭīn occupies a prominent position within Palestinian resistance literature, the poem provides an appropriate corpus for investigating the semantic and affective layers of the word al ʿayn. Although the lexeme literally denotes the organ of vision, its usage in the poem evokes multiple intertwined meanings, including love, suffering, collective identity, and attachment to the homeland. Employing a descriptive analytical method and drawing on library based sources, this study examines every occurrence of al ʿayn in the poem and identifies its latent semantic and emotional layers within the framework of affective context theory. The findings demonstrate that the lexeme generates a dense network of emotional and cultural associations which, through interaction with the poem’s affective atmosphere, contributes significantly to the articulation of Palestinian identity and the discourse of resistance. Moreover, the analysis shows that attention to affective context enables readers—particularly Persian speaking readers whose interpretations may be shaped by their own linguistic and cultural presuppositions—to move beyond a strictly lexical reading and achieve a deeper aesthetic and interpretive engagement with the poem. The study therefore highlights the analytical value of affective context theory for producing more nuanced interpretations of poetic discourse.