The Forbidden: Poems from Iran and its Exiles

Contents

Contents xi Acknowledgments xiii A Note to the Reader xv Introduction the state of red 3 And Behold, Simin Behbahani 4 In This Dead-End Road, Ahmad Shamlou 6 Death Sermon, Nader Naderpour 7 The State of Red, Mandana Zandian 9 Parts of a Pedestrian in a Tunnel, Rasoul Younan 12 Of Sea Wayfarers, Esmail Khoi 14 Blood and Ash, Nader Naderpour 15 Camouflage Costumes, Granaz Moussavi 16 Untitled, Shams Langeroodi 18 A Mob! Tumult!, Peyman Vahabzadeh 19 My House Is Cloudy, Nima Yushij 20 Blood’s Voice, Mohsen Emadi 24 If Rising from Your Grave, Naanaam 25 Death from the Window, Naanaam 26 Life, Naanaam 27 The Sticky Dream of a Banished Butterfly (Excerpt), Maryam Hooleh 29 Our Tears Are Sweet, Simin Behbahani 30 I See the Sea . . . , Shams Langeroodi 32 You Said, It’s Only Grapes, Simin Behbahani translating silence 35 Me, Granaz Moussavi 36 The Poem, Mohsen Emadi 41 From “23,” Shams Langeroodi 44 The Shah and Hosseinzadeh, Reza Baraheni 45 Hosseinzadeh, the Head Executioner, Reza Baraheni 47 Ass Poem, Reza Baraheni 48 Depression, Yadollah Royai 49 Petition, Nader Naderpour 50 A List of Names, Partow Nooriala 53 Nargess, Partow Nooriala 54 Always the Same . . . , Ahmad Shamlou 56 I Did Not Expect, Ahmad Reza Ahmadi 58 Of Your Uncles, Ahmad Shamlou 99 names of exile 63 99 Names of Exile, Kaveh Bassiri 64 Ghazal 2, Nader Naderpour 65 Spring Story, Nader Naderpour 67 Marco Polo, Ali Alizadeh 70 Red-Raft Woman, Esther Kamkar 71 Map of Ashen Roads, Sholeh Wolpé 73 Memorial Day, Kaveh Bassiri 75 Family of Scatterable Mines, Solmaz Sharif 76 Airport, Granaz Moussavi bleeding green 81 From Green to Green, Sohrab Sepehri 82 The Green of Iran, Sholeh Wolpé 84 Song of a Forbidden Woman, Granaz Moussavi 86 At the Hamlet of Golestaneh, Sohrab Sepehri 88 Summer Is a Green Story, Esther Kamkar 90 A New Idea, Rumi 91 Feminist, Maryam Ala Amjadi 93 When a Color Stops Being a Color, Becomes Something Else Completely, Shideh Etaat rebellious god 99 Rebellious God, Forugh Farrokhzad 101 Lovers!, Tahirih 102 Return to the Wellspring, Jila Mossaed 104 Criticizing the Veil, Iraj Mirza 107 Collage Sixteen, Ziba Karbassi 108 Martyrs of Iran, Roger Sedarat 110 I Didn’t Ask for My Parents, Sholeh Wolpé 111 God’s Poem, Nader Naderpour 112 Fire; take a step . . . , Sepideh Jodeyri 113 Hezbollah, Sheema Kalbasi 114 A Homily on Leaving, Nader Naderpour 116 Religion, Amy Motlagh 117 Of Leaving, Sholeh Wolpé stepping through time 121 The Art of Stepping through Time, H. E. Sayeh 123 In Praise of Big Noses, Persis Karim 125 Untitled, Peyman Vahabzadeh 126 Those Who Stood Up for Tolerance, Hafez 127 Rhyme by Rhyme, Tahirih 128 Stay Light on Your Feet, Rumi 129 Collage Eleven, Ziba Karbassi 130 Collage Fourteen, Ziba Karbassi 131 The Plumber’s Poem, Zara Houshmand 132 My Hands Tremble Yet Again—A Soliloquy, Sheida Mohammadi 134 Hot Tea, a Warm Muffin, Shideh Etaat 135 Mulberries and Chador, Farzaneh Milani 136 Return from My Body’s Black-and-Blue, Sheida Mohammadi 137 Caravan, H. E. Sayeh 140 Connection, Forugh Farrokhzad 142 I Won’t Quit Loving, Hafez 143 Morning Star, Ziba Karbassi 145 Twittering, Pegah Ahmadi 147 Someone like No One, Forugh Farrokhzad 151 Water, Sohrab Sepehri 153 About the Poets and Translators ...