Saturday, December 12, 2009

A Poem for the Fallen Classmates

I am not generally into poetry but occasionally it does move me, and this footage below recited beautifully by this beautiful Iranian girl on the occasion of the new academic year is one of those rare occasions that one can not remain untouched. We are a nation rich in poetry sadly because so often we have had to resort to it in order to express our feelings under the shadow of dictators. I have done my best to translate it but I fear I may not have done a good job, in which case I hope the genuine feelings of this girl when she describes her generation robbed of happiness and the pain and sorrow felt for the fallen classmates as well as the reactions by the admiring audience compensate for it.




Its raining and autumn is the season,
The sky is spilling with resentment
Its as if the clouds are made to prostrate onto the earth
after the burning received by the summer's branding
The air of school has the scent of the alphabets
and the ringing of the morning bell is sharp and harsh
The punishment of unapproved laughters
and petty fun and amusements
is the loss of our teenage years and
the onslaught of non stop accusations
It is the first day of the school year
and I am reminiscent of the unforgettable memories
of the empty classroom that once held you and I
and the many faded flowers that sat behind these desks
Its autumn and its raining within me
I am a prisoner of my own rage
What a beautiful tomorrow we had dreamed of
and instead how our plans were all destroyed
What an age, what a period of transformation we had envisaged
We had longed for a sign for so long
You and I were of the generation that was never allowed to fly
For we were the captives of the open claws
The very ones that murdered you in front of my own eyes
with its sharp barbs
[applause]
and destroyed all our hopes and aspirations
and separated our hands of friendship from each other

You drank the poisoned chalice
and suddenly were removed from my side
I swear to every drop of the motherly tears
to those immortal thoughts
to every drop of love's blood
to those bravehearts in captivity now
that my heart was torn into one hundred pieces
that from your sorrow my heart received one hundred creases

Tell me though, is there happiness in the place you have gone to?
On the other side of life where you are
have you tasted freedom at last?
Do you remember the teenage years?
Is the love for the motherland still in your head?
[loud applause by the audience]

Tell me in the place you have gone to, are there no more weeds?
Is the axe not the predetermined destiny of the Green trees?
Is there no one there that insults your intelligence ?
Does your pride not get raped where you are now?
[laud applause]
Is there any news of unmarked graves over there?
Do you still hear the cries of mothers there?

Sing with me my co-generation who feels my pains
Sing my song with regret and rue
Its raining and autumn is the season,
The sky is crying rage from this injustice
It is I and a desk which feels lonely without you
and the flowers who have faded in the classroom

15 comments:

Unknown said...

Do you actally speak remember any Farsi, Potkin?

Can we please have the poem in Persian.

Btw,my appearance and poetry is more beautiful.

Azarmehr said...

Reza Esfandiari Yussef Bozorgmehr

If I didn't speak Farsi, how did I translate it?:))))) Are all Ahmadinejad supporters as stupid as you?

You can listen to the poem in Farsi by watching the video. What you have to do is click on the triangle thing in the middle. Ask someone to help you if you still can't work it out. No wonder you havent watched any of the footage from Iran. Why didnt you just say you don't know how to watch youtube??

Well we don't know what you look like yet. You are too scared to show us what you look like. This Iranian girl reciting this poem in Iran has more courage and guts than you. But your 'poetry' is definitely that of a disturbed insignificant sychophant who has been a total failure in all aspects of life.

Unknown said...

Here is a picture of me, Potkin.

http://www.shiachat.com/forum/index.php?/topic/234971682-kaveh-afrasiabi-vilification-of-a-scholar/

Her poem is not very subtle or original. I don't want to sound like a chauvinist, but Farsi is best spoken by a man.

As for courage: I was attacked by a green mob in Manchester and fought them all off.

Kimber said...

Thansk for posting this. I don’t know farsi, but your translation speaks of a beautiful poem.

Another translation here:

http://bit.ly/8pYvRu

Azarmehr said...

Cant see it. The site is down. Even the shiachat is ashamed to have you up :))))

Arash said...

That was a lovely poem. Good job on the translation Potkin.

Reza the Traitor

Don't lie, you haven't set foot near any Greens since June because you know they'll tear your pathetic Islamic Republic arguments to pieces.

Arash

http://observingiran.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

Poktin! What have you done to Shiachat?!! Thw whole site is down!

Anyway, here is my counter poem.


چوببر از گرگها سبز نمیترسد

درخت زقوم را با شیشه میبرد

Masoud said...

I don't want to sound like a chauvinist, but I'm going to say something that's chauvinistic! Crazy!

Kinda reminds me of "If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator." - George W. Bush

And her Farsi is as beautiful as it is eloquent.

Anonymous said...

Reza,

You don't sound chauvinist - you sound gay.

Unknown said...

OK, here is a picture of myself taken at the time of the unrest.

http://www.shiachat.com/forum/index.php?/user/46445-muraqib-ul-tarighat/

Anonymous said...

Why does everyone here attack the personal image and life of people they don't agree with?

Why can't the Anti-Regime people just argue the facts?

Anonymous said...

Great Blog, writer and translation of this beautiful poem that speaks massively on how True Iranian people and these generations that have been wronged sadly on so many levels...
Reza Esfandiari, you are the shame of Iran and also to my name "Reza" if you are the supporter of EVIL ISLAMIC REPUBLIC.

Iran and True Iranians will make Fanatic Islam and Muslims disappear from our Motherland Iran forever... mark my words...

Sohrab said...

"Why can't the anti-regime people argue the facts?"

The facts, anonymous? How can you argue with the subjective rantings of a 7th century style sexist like Reza? See below.

"Her poem is not very subtle or original. I don't want to sound like a chauvinist, but Farsi is best spoken by a man."

Unknown said...

The only EVIL is the trouble wrought by the YAZID and UMAR of our times, whom Potkin can say no wrong about, HASHEMI RAFSANJANI.

Seriously, where is Pirouz Nahavandi?

Ahoi, Ahoi, yeki biyad...az marge akhonde faribandiz!

Anonymous said...

Potkin,

The poem brought tears into my eyes. How courageous the people have become. I didn’t believe in a change anymore. But the recent events have proven me; we are now where we were in 1975...few years away from a massive revolution or change. These are the last years...clock is ticking for them...

Reza,

You Islamist moron. You are so illiterate; you weren't able to post a picture of yourself in two attempts here. Neither do you understand where to click to watch a video. You are even dumber than the dumbest creature on earth. No wonder, you are still a Muslim!

H. (a former Muslim)