For more than half a century, Siavash Kasrai has been celebrated as one of the most fervent literary figures of contemporary Persian poetry. His unyielding political and social convictions, together with his exceptional lyric style, resulted in some of the most passionate and poignant poetry of his time. Here come seven of his shorter poems from As Red as Fire, Tasting of Smoke, the bilingual collection of his poems translated into English by Sara Khalili and edited by Michael Beard, and published by Sokhan Publishers in 2007 in Tehran.
1. Road Workers
for my father
The thirst-ridden desert
a sun drenched read
the flight of the warm wind
the deliberate sun
The vast silence
a single black tent
the fine hot gravel
the dry eyes of the well
The silhouette of a few men
on the veil of dust
an earthen jug, a few shovels
exhaustion and toil. (July 1, 1952)
2. Trepidation
Heavy sits the snow,
sad sits the night,
my sorrow in my heart,
my trepidation on my lips:
“If the fire dies,
if the fire does not cast shelter upon the desert,
in passage, the wolves will again attack the caravans.”
The image of songless and leafless gardens…
The cry of the crows… [November 25, 1957]
3. Half-Dead Nature
The moon, saddened
the way, sodden
the gold fish, fallen to the ground [1954]
4. Autumn
Wet suns
unripe moonlights
cold diamonds
petals of death
the ailment of dusk
the idleness of dust. [December 1952]
5. Keepsake
O spilled perfume,
Evaporated perfume,
My heart is an empty scent bottle, filled with the desire of you;
Sorrow is your keepsake. [September 1955]
6. Roots and Forest
I am a bough in the forest of mankind.
From the blow of the ax
Many a memento on the body of my offspring remain.
Do not speak to me of breaking!
Injury to our body is never a surprise.
Within us are amazing blossomings in springs.
A hundred times if to the earth they drag me,
A hundred times if my bones they break,
In times of need again,
I am that firewood from which flames arise,
I am that root from which forests abound.
7. Martyrdom of the Candle
To the poet and activist laborer of the people of Ireland, Bobby Sands.
Drop
by drop
to die
and to bring the collective night to dawn.
Vibrantly to live,
Silently to die.
To die
with
a smile
and to bring an end
to the haze of a legendary doubt:
To be
or
not to be.
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Artwork by Farideh Lashai (c)2004, Abstract lanscape with blue
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