* This poem, entitled “Mother” (MAdar) was taught to generations of second graders in Iran. This is a rough translation, which does no justice to its beautiful Farsi original, which, nonetheless, I decided to produce in English today and share it with everyone for all the mothers and children out there.
Mother
By Iraj Mirza
They say upon giving birth to me,
She taught me to put my mouth to the breast and be fed.
She spent the nights awake at the side of my cradle,
And taught me how to fall asleep.
She placed a smile on my lips,
And taught a flower bud how to open up.
She took me by the hands and step by step,
Taught me the way to walk.
Letter by letter, she would place on my tongue,
And taught me words and how to talk.
So being that my existence is due to her existence,
As long as I exist is and she does too,
I will love her.
A Mother's Day Poem
Who Needs Eve, If Adam Had You?
Ordinary compliments are not enough to describe her. They simply don't do her justice. So he resorts to a compliment that would not be easy to top. The compliment also has interesting implications for the course of history.
If Adam had seen you
He wouldn't want Eve anymore.
He would build a nest in your dark eyes
He wouldn't want the world anymore.
From: Vigen's "[the Prophet] Adam" (Hazrate Adam)
All We Need is Each Other--And Maybe the Sun
This new couple is not worried about the location of their first home together. Nor are they concerned about how fancy it might be.
Wherever you are
That's where my home will be.
The sun will set up a tent for us.
From "Persian Girl" (Dokhtar-e-Irooni) by Siavash
Tonight is Our Wedding Night
Tonight is their wedding night. And she is beginning the night with a song that celebrates their blessed union, her desires for their first night, and her prescription for a lifetime of joy.
First, she praises the quality of their love and credits the one who brought them together.
Your heart is like a boat
A boat that is the color of Gold.
That our destinies now
Belong to one another
Is the work of God.
That is why she has agreed to marry him. Their love for another, cultivated by God, will be all that they need around them.
The beautiful Island of Love
Is a land empty of insincerity.
We shall go there where
There is only room
For our two hearts.
But that is the future. Tonight is their wedding night. She is finally allowed to express herself in a way that would not have been acceptable before. And she knows exactly what she wants to happen tonight with her new husband.
Up to now, even amorous gestures would have been a sin
But tonight, I am accompanied by my dowry.
I want, tonight until dawn, for us to share
Our secrets and needs.
From Nasrin's "Our Wedding" (Aroosiye Ma)
The Most Noble Motive
He suspects her of cheating and is pleading with her to tell him the truth. How does he try to convince her to be honest with him? No, not for his sake. Not for her own sake. Not even for their lifetime of love. Rather: To please God.
The song is Moein's "To Please God" (Mahze Rezaye Khoda), but the phrase is actually a common one in every day Persian conversations. The idea that the phrase reflects is the belief that the most noble motive behind any action--the one motive that all other motives would be judged against--is the motive or desire to please God.
The Eyebrow of a Cold Heart
If you have wondered how sometimes people can be shockingly cold and indifferent to the pain and misery of others, you are not alone:
Q:
Is a heart made of steel
That in this day age
Can shut its eyes?
See nothing,
And even if it does,
Not raise an eyebrow?
A:
Sonny, dear,
That heart of steel
If nothing else
Is after its own interests.
The tears from his eyes
Won’t muddy
The soil under his legs.
From: "City of Stories" a play by Bijan Mofid (Shahre Ghesseh)
Cycle of Giving
A young prince happened by an old man who was planting a walnut tree. The young prince admonished him: "Old man, a walnut tree won't bear fruit for another thirty years. What are you hoping for? Do you think that you will ever live long enough to see this tree bear fruit?"
The old man answered:
"There is no need for me to see this tree bear fruit! Others planted and we ate their fruits. We plant so others eat."
From: The young prince in this story was apparently King Anooshirvan of the Sassanid Dynasty.
The Pauper Wears Prada
He drives a late model luxury car. He lives in an exclusive neighborhood with the right zip code. His clothing alone costs a small fortune. But then you see his bank statements and are shocked to learn that he is barely making ends meet. You share the story with your wise Persian mother. And, in explaining the lengths to which some people will go to maintain appearances, she tells you:
His red cheeks are from slapping his own face.
(DAreh bA seelee sooratesho sorkh mikoneh)
A lighthouse Won't Fit Under the Rug
Imagine you are working at, say, the White House, and people around you are deciding to invade a foreign country and overthrow its dictator. But, no one, it seems, is spending a lot of time planning for what to do with that foreign country once the job of overthrowing the dictator is accomplished.
Influenced by Persian culture, you might point out the importance of planning by saying:
First dig the hole, then steal the lighthouse.
(Aval chAh ro bekan, ba'dan menAr rA bedozd).
Water Has Reached Past Our Head
The water level has reached passed our head.
(Aab az saremoon gozashteh)
The idea behind this Farsi expression is rather simple: "It's too late!" Though the image that comes to mind is of a Titanic-scenario crisis where the ship has sunk, the expression is probably used more commonly where a neglected problem was years in the making. A growing debt. A troubled marriage.