POETRY

Nice translation but aside from criticism, I also

like "Karimi Hakak" 's translation. I read this article a  while ago and I don't remember all details. I like translation that your friend sent but I just googled Hakak's translation and criticisim and all, I find it nice.

Another translation of this poem

This translation was sent to me by a colleague of mine.

I’ve sinned, a sin full of pleasure

In an embrace warm and fiery

I’ve sinned within arms

Hot, vengeful and solid

In that dark and quiet sanctum

I looked into his mystery-filled eyes

My heart quivered restlessly in my chest

From the desires in his craving eyes

In that dark and quiet sanctum

Bothered, I sit next to him

His lips poured lust onto my lips

I’ve escaped the madness of my wild heart

I whispered a love story into his ear

I want you, my dear love

I want you, that life-giving embrace

You crazy lover of mine

Desire burns in his eyes

Red wine dancing in a glass

My body across a soft bed

Drunkenly quivered against his chest

I’ve sinned, a sin full of pleasure,

Next to a quivering, dazed body

Lord, I know not of what I’ve done

In that dark and quiet sanctum

Translated by: Soroush Alamehgaib

MG.... that is a sad poem .....

Isn't that ironic? That forough wrote this and she also died in the cold season ...

" Let us believe,

let us believe in the beginning of the cold season,

let us believe in the ruin of the garden of dreams

in unloaded, abandoned spades,

and in caged seeds.

Look!

Snow is falling outside…

Perhaps truth was those young hands,

They are now buried under the unending blow of snow.

But when spring makes love

to the blue reflection of the Sky

and the green stream of fresh grass

flows in its veins

they will flourish, my beloved,

My sole beloved.

Let us believe in the beginning of the cold season! 

ﺷﺎﻳﺪ ﺣﻘﻴﻘﺖ

و ﻣﺮدی از آﻨﺎر درﺧﺘﺎن ﺧﻴﺲ ﻣﻲ ﮔﺬرد

ﻣﺮدی آﻪ رﺷﺘﻪ هﺎی ﺁﺑﯽ رﮔﻬﺎﻳﺶ

ﻣﺎﻧﻨﺪ ﻣﺎرهﺎی ﻣﺮدﻩ از دو ﺳﻮی ﮔﻠﻮﮔﺎهﺶ

ﺑﺎﻻ ﺧﺰﻳﺪﻩ اﻧﺪ

و در ﺷﻘﻴﻘﻪ هﺎی ﻣﻨﻘﻠﺒﺶ ﺁن هﺠﺎي ﺧﻮﻧﻴﻦ را

ﺗﻜﺮار ﻣﯽ آﻨﻨﺪ

ــ ﺳﻼم

ــ ﺳﻼم ................................................................................................. ﭼﮕﻮﻧﻪ ﻣﻲ ﺷﻮد ﺑﻪ ﺁن آﺴﯽ آﻪ ﻣﻲ رود اﻳﻨﺴﺎن

ﺻﺒﻮر ،

ﺳﻨﮕﻴﻦ،

ﺳﺮﮔﺮدان.
ﻓﺮﻣﺎن اﻳﺴﺖ داد .

ﭼﮕﻮﻧﻪ ﻣﻴﺸﻮد ﺑﻪ ﻣﺮد ﮔﻔﺖ  آﻪ او زﻧﺪﻩ ﻧﻴﺴﺖ، او هﻴﭽﻮﻗﺖ زﻧﺪﻩ ﻧﺒﻮدﻩ ﺳﺖ. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- و او ﭼﮕﻮﻧﻪ  از آﻨﺎر درﺧﺘﺎن ﺧﻴﺲ ﻣﻴﮕﺬرد:

ﺻﺒﻮر ،

ﺳﻨﮕﻴﻦ،

ﺳﺮﮔﺮدان،

در ﺳﺎﻋﺖ ﭼﻬﺎر  

در ﻟﺤﻈﻪ ای آﻪ رﺷﺘﻪ هﺎی ﺁﺑﯽ رﮔﻬﺎﻳﺶ  

ﻣﺎﻧﻨﺪ ﻣﺎرهﺎی ﻣﺮدﻩ از دو ﺳﻮی ﮔﻠﻮﮔﺎهﺶ
ﺑﺎﻻ ﺧﺰﻳﺪﻩ اﻧﺪ

و در ﺷﻘﻴﻘﻪ هﺎی  ﻣﻨﻘﻠﺒﺶ ﺁن هﺠﺎی ﺧﻮﻧﻴﻦ را

ﺗﻜﺮار ﻣﻴﻜﻨﻨﺪ

ــ ﺳﻼم ــ ﺳﻼم -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
اﻳﻦ آﻴﺴﺖ اﻳﻦ آﺴﯽ آﻪ روی  ﺟﺎدﻩ ی اﺑﺪﻳﺖ

ﺑﻪ ﺳﻮی  ﻟﺤﻈﻪ ی ﺗﻮﺣﻴﺪ ﻣﯽ رود

و ﺳﺎﻋﺖ  هﻤﻴﺸﮕﻴﺶ را

ﺑﺎ ﻣﻨﻄﻖ  رﻳﺎﺿﻲ  ﺗﻔﺮﻳﻖ هﺎ و ﺗﻔﺮﻗﻪ هﺎ آﻮك ﻣﯽ آﻨﺪ .

اﻳﻦ آﻴﺴﺖ  اﻳﻦ آﺴﯽ آﻪ ﺑﺎﻧﮓ  ﺧﺮوﺳﺎن را

ﺁﻏﺎز ﻗﻠﺐ  روز ﻧﻤﯽ داﻧﺪﻧ
ﺁﻏﺎز ﺑﻮی ﻧﺎﺷﺘﺎﻳﯽ ﻣﻴﺪاﻧﺪ

اﻳﻦ آﻴﺴﺖ اﻳﻦ آﺴﯽ آﻪ ﺗﺎج  ﻋﺸﻖ ﺑﻪ ﺳﺮ دارد

و در ﻣﻴﺎن  ﺟﺎﻣﻪ هﺎی ﻋﺮوﺳﯽ ﭘﻮﺳﻴﺪﻩ ﺳﺖ. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ﻧﮕﺎﻩ آﻦ آﻪ ﭼﻪ ﺑﺮﻓﯽ ﻣﻲ ﺑﺎرد ...ﻧ
ﺷﺎﻳﺪ ﺣﻘﻴﻘﺖ ﺁن دو دﺳﺖ ﺟﻮان ﺑﻮد،  ﺁن دو دﺳﺖ ﺟﻮان

آﻪ زﻳﺮ ﺑﺎرش ﻳﻜﺮﻳﺰ ﺑﺮف ﻣﺪﻓﻮن ﺷﺪ

و ﺳﺎل، دﻳﮕﺮ وﻗﺘﯽ  ﺑﻬﺎر

ﺑﺎ ﺁﺳﻤﺎن ﭘﺸﺖ ﭘﻨﺠﺮﻩ هﻤﺨﻮاﺑﻪ ﻣﯽ ﺷﻮد

و در ﺗﻨﺶ ﻓﻮران ﻣﯽ آﻨﻨﺪ

ﻓﻮارﻩ هﺎی  ﺳﺒﺰ ﺳﺎﻗﻪ هﺎي ﺳﺒﻜﺒﺎر

ﺷﻜﻮﻓﻪ ﺧﻮاهﺪ داد ای ﻳﺎر، ای ﻳﮕﺎﻧﻪ ﺗﺮﻳﻦ ﻳﺎر

اﻳﻤﺎن ﺑﻴﺎورﻳﻢ ﺑﻪ ﺁﻏﺎز ﻓﺼﻞ ﺳﺮد ..

I give up

I don't get the point,,,

...

Toba is the most interesting feminist, surrealist, some might say magical-realist novel of the past 25 years, story of a women: Toba, in different stages of her life. It would be a great injustice to cramp it into a synopsis. It definitely deserves a blog of it own. It's been translated to 12 languages, outta here, cheers

Dear MG, you are absolutely correct

where you write in your comment:"Forough's reference to her family could also be  read as an archetype kind of narrative, not necessarily connected to her immediate family, but the national family she belonged to." 

 As far as women's novels, I read "Sovoshon" about 30 years ago but I remember almost nothing. I have not read Toba and... but I am interested to read others' discussion of it. Can somebody tell me in few sentences how Toba was, what was her personality, basically summarize this book in few lines and give a warning in subject line so those who don't want, not have the story spoil for them, but I am curious to know about Tooba.

...

It's times like this that you feel happy being in this cyber-literary family.  Thank you Ms. Shahegh for this space, Mehraban jan dast marizad.BDM thanks for pissing everyone off and starting another round.

Anahid jan, Forough's reference to her family could also be  read as an archetype kind of narrative, not necessarily connected to her immediate family, but the national family she belonged to. I don't think her mother or sister would have been surprised by any of that, they were used to her sentiments and life. As exaggerating as it might sound Forough has one of the deepest, most peneterating understanding of social psychology in Iran. Ay marz por Gohar is an excellent example.

While it's always great  to discuss poetry, perhaps as much as we're discussing women poetry,  we could also pay attention to women novels as well: from Simin Daneshvar's "Sovoshon," to "Toba and Meaning of the Night" to more recent works, they are as valuable as Forough's works, cheers

Anahid

You brought up a good point referring her poems she wrote about her family.....

let's not forget that a true poet writes from the heart and writes about the things that touched her deeply. That could be anything that makes her seeks refuge to the pen and pour it out on the paper.

Anything... love and her sexuality, her personal life, and her political point of views.  A poet is not limited to any specific topic.  As soon as she feels it then she writes about it...  There are many aspects in one's life and a poet's life is not an exception. 

thanks Mehrban for posting this marvelous poem

This is the Forough I read and fell in love with her poetry, not because of any pioneer role in liberation of women but because of her excellent observations about society, which part of it included women's concerns but she also wrote about everyone's concerns as this poem greatly shows. 

Dear MG, it is interesting where Forough criticizes her family

If we think that Forough's talk of sexuality was brave, I find it also  brave that in one of her poems, she criticizes members of her family and starts writing that mother does this, sister is like that. Can you imagine the reaction she must have received? Hopefully, they were very sweet people and understanding. Back to your comment, that textual interpretation does sound fascinating.

Too bad that you could not find Forough's "marz por gohar", either I have not read it or I don't remember it at this moment. If you find it, make sure to post it.

ای‌ مرز پر گهر

It is poems like this that makes it unfair to pigeonhole her as the poet of female sentiments.  

With the permission of Ms. Shahegh and based on the reminder from MG. I post "Ay marz e por gohar".  It is a long one. 

فاتح شدم

خود را به ثبت رساندم

خود را به نامی ، در یک شناسنامه ، مزین کردم

و هستیم به یک شماره مشخص شد

پس زنده  باد 678 صادره از بخش 5 ساکن تهران

دیگر خیالم از همه سو راحتست

آغوش مهربان مام وطن

پستانک سوابق پرافتخار تاریخی

لالایی تمدن و فرهنگ

و جق و جق جقجقهء قانون ...

آه

.دیگر خیالم از همه سو راحتست

از فرط شادمانی

رفتم کنار پنجره ، با اشتیاق ، ششصد و هفتاد و هشت

بار هوا را که از غبار پهن

و بوی خاکروبه و ادرار ، منقبض شده بود

درون سینه فرو دادم

و زیر ششصد و هفتاد و هشت قبض بدهکاری

و روی ششصد و هفتاد و هشت  تقاضای کار نوشتم

فروغ فرخ زاد

در سرزمین شعر و گل و بلبل

موهبتیست زیستن ، آنهم

وقتی که واقعیت موجود بودن تو پس از سالهای

سال پذیرفته میشود

جایی که من

با اولین نگاه رسمیم از لای پرده ، ششصد و هفتاد و

 هشت شاعر را می بینم

که ، حقه بازها ، همه در هیئت غریب گدایان

در لای خاکروبه ، به دنبال وزن و قافیه میگردند

و از صدای اولین قدم رسمیم

یکباره ، از میان لجن زارهای  تیره ، ششصد و هفتاد و

 هشت بلبل مرموز

که از سر تفنن

خود را به شکل ششصد و هفتاد و هشت کلاغ سیاه

پیر در آورده اند

با تنبلی بسوی حاشیهء روز میپرند

واولین نفس زدن رسمیم

آغشته میشود به بوی ششصد و هفتاد و هشت شاخه

گل سرخ

محصول کارخانجات عظیم پلاسکو

موهبتیست زیستن ، آری

در زادگاه شیخ ابو دلقک کمانچه کش فوری

و شیخ ای دل ای دل تنبک تبار تنبوری

شهر ستارگان گران وزن ساق و باسن و پستان و

پشت جلد و هنر

گهوارهء مولفان فلسفهء " ای بابا به من چه ولش کن "

مهد مسابقات المپیک هوش- وای !

جایی که دست به هر دستگاه نقلی تصویر و صوت

میزنی ، از آن

بوق نبوغ نابغه ای تازه سال میآید

و برگزیدگان فکری ملت

وقتی که در کلاس اکابر حضور مییابند

هریک به روی سینه ، ششصد و هفتاد و هشت  کباب پز

برقی

و بر دو دست ، ششصد و هفتاد و هشت  ساعت ناوزر ردیف

کرده و میدانند

که ناتوانی از خواص تهی کیسه بودنست ، نه نادانی

فاتح شدم   بله فاتح شدم

اکنون به شادمانی این فتح

در پای آینه ، با افتخار ، ششصد و هفتاد و هشت  شمع

نسیه میافروزم

و میپرم به روی طاقچه تا ، با اازه ، چند کلامی

دربارهء فواید قانونی حیات به عرض حضورتان برسانم

و اولین کلنگ ساختمان رفیع زندگیم را

همراه با طنین کف زدنی پرشور

بر فرق فرق خویش بکوبم

من زنده ام ، بله ، مانند زنده رود ، که یکروز زنده بود

و از تمام آنچه که در انحصار مردم زنده ست  بهره

خواهم برد

من میتوانم از فردا

در کوچه های شهر ، که سرشار از مواهب ملیست

و در میان سایه های سبکبار تیرهای تلگراف

گردش کنان قدم بردارم

و با غرور ، ششصد و هفتاد و هشت  بار ، به دیوار مستراح

های عمومی بنویسم

خط نوشتم که خر کند خنده

من میتوا نم از فردا

همچون وطن پرست غیوری

سهمی از ایده آل عظیمی که اجتماع

هر چارشنبه بعد از ظهر ، آن را

با اشتیاق و دلهره دنبال میکند

 قلب و مغز خویش داشته باشم

سهمی از آن هزار هوس پرور هزار ریالی

که میتوان به مصرف یخچال و مبل و پرده رساندش

یا آنکه در ازای ششصد و هفتاد و هشت  رای طبیعی

آن را شبی به ششصد و هفتاد و هشت  مرد وطن بخشید

من میتوانم از فردا

در پستوی مغازهء خاچیک

بعد از فرو کشیدن چندین نفس ، ز چند گرم جنس

دست اول خالص

و صرف چند بادیه پپسی کولای ناخالص

و پخش چند یاحق و یاهو و وغ وغ و هوهو

رسما ً به مجمع فضلای فکور و فضله های فاضل

روشنفکر

و پیروان مکتب داخ داخ تاراخ تاراخ بپیوندم

و طرح اولین رمان بزرگم را

که در حوالی سنهء یکهزار و ششصد و هفتاد و هشت

شمسی تبریزی

رسماً  به زیر دستگاه تهی دست چاپ خواهد رفت

بر هر دو پشت ششصد و هفتاد و هشت  پاکت

اشنوی اصل ویژه بریزم

من میتوانم از فردا

با اعتماد کامل

خود را برای ششصد و هفتاد و هشت  دوره به یک

دستگاه مسند مخمل پوش

در ملس تجمع و تامین آتیه

یا مجلس سپاس و ثنا میهمان کنم

زیرا که من تمام مندرجات مجلهء هنر و دانش - و

تملق و کرنش را میخوانم

و شیوهء " درست نوشتن " را میدانم

من در میان تودهء سازنده ای قدم به عرصهء هستی

نهاده ام

که گرچه نان ندارد ، اما بجای آن

میدان دید باز و وسیعی دارد

که مرزهای فعلی جغرافیاییش

از جانب شمال ، به میدان پر طراوت و سبز تیر

و از جنوب ، به میدان باستانی اعدام

ودر مناطق پر ازدحام ، به میدان توپخانه رسیده ست

و در پناه آسمان درخشان و امن امنیتش

از صبح تا غروب ، ششصد و هفتاد و هشت  قوی قوی

هیکل گچی

به اتفاق ششصد و هفتاد و هشت  فرشته

- آنهم فرشتهء از خاک و گل سرشته -

به تبلیغ طرحهای سکون و سکوت مشغولند

فاتح شدم  بله فاتح شدم

پس زنده باد 678 صادره از بخش 5 ساکن تهران

که در پناه پشتکار و اراده

به آنچنان مقام رفیعی رسیده است ، که در چارچوب

پنجره ای

در ارتفاع ششصد و هفتاد و هشت  متری سطح زمین

قرار گرفته ست

و افتخار این را دارد

که میتئاند از همان دریچه - نه از راه پلکان -

خود را

دیوانه وار به دامان مهربان مام وطن سرنگون کند

و آخرین وصیتش اینست

که در ازای ششصد و هفتاد و هشت  سکه ، حضرت

استاد آبراهام صهبا

مرثیه ای به قافیه کشک در رثای حیاتش رقم زند

Your welcome comrade, this is only a very small portion of that

Epic poem.

Not sure how to accout for the change in Forough's focuse in her poems and life. There's a theory in philosophy of science called: Epistemological Breaks (Gaston Bachelard), could we apply such a notion also to evolution of Forough gaze, and emphasis in her later stages?

Prof. Hora Yavaary (she's also written the essay for "Iranian Fiction"in Iranica)  has a fascinating textual intrepetation of Forough's works. Which makes it most inteteresting since its based directly on the text itself, pure and simple.

Forough's " Ay Marz Por Gohar" is also another one of her masterpieces in showing the real face of cultural bankruptcy in her times. Tried to find and post it, couldn't find it, cheers

P.S. thanks for Deh'khoda.

Thanks MG for posting this poem

I may be wrong but I believe that towards later years of her life, in collections such as "tavalodi deegar" and "eeman beyavareem..", Forough concentratd on her observations about society and she was far more political than her earlier poems that dealt with subjects such as the ones explored in sin.

اﻳﻤﺎن ﺑﻴﺎورﻳﻢ ﺑﻪ ... ﺁﻏﺎز ﻓﺼﻞ ﺳﺮد

و اﻳﻦ ﺟﻬﺎن  ﺑﻪ ﻻﻧﻪ ي ﻣﺎران ﻣﺎﻧﻨﺪ اﺳﺖﻧ
و اﻳﻦ ﺟﻬﺎن ﭘﺮ از ﺻﺪاي  ﺣﺮآﺖ ﭘﺎهﺎی ﻣﺮدﻣﻴﺴﺖ

آﻪ هﻤﭽﻨﺎن آﻪ ﺗﺮا ﻣﻲ ﺑﻮﺳﻨﺪ

در ذهﻦ ﺧﻮد ﻃﻨﺎب دار  ﺗﺮا ﻣﯽ ﺑﺎﻓﻨﺪ.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
اﻧﺴﺎن ﭘﻮك

اﻧﺴﺎن ﭘﻮك ﭘﺮ از اﻋﺘﻤﺎد

ﻧﮕﺎﻩ آﻦ آﻪ دﻧﺪاﻧﻬﺎﻳﺶ

ﭼﮕﻮﻧﻪ  وﻗﺖ ﺟﻮﻳﺪن ﺳﺮود ﻣﻴﺨﻮاﻧﺪ

و ﭼﺸﻤﻬﺎﻳﺶ

ﭼﮕﻮﻧﻪ وﻗﺖ ﺧﻴﺮﻩ ﺷﺪن ﻣﯽ درﻧﺪ
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ﺟﻨﺎزﻩ هﺎی ﺧﻮﺷﺒﺨﺖ

ﺟﻨﺎزﻩ هﺎی ﻣﻠﻮل

ﺟﻨﺎزﻩ هﺎی ﺳﺎآﺖ ﻣﺘﻔﻜﺮ

ﺟﻨﺎزﻩ هﺎی ﺧﻮش ﺑﺮﺧﻮرد، ﺧﻮش ﭘﻮش،  ﺧﻮش ﺧﻮراك

در اﻳﺴﺘﮕﺎهﻬﺎی  وﻗﺖ هﺎي ﻣﻌﻴﻦ

و در زﻣﻴﻨﻪ ی ﻣﺸﻜﻮك  ﻧﻮرهﺎی ﻣﻮﻗﺖ

و ﺷﻬﻮت   ﺧﺮﻳﺪ  ﻣﻴﻮﻩ هﺎی ﻓﺎﺳﺪ ﺑﻴﻬﻮدﮔﯽ

BDM

You do not get the point?  and since you insisting to keep bringing your own points up then let me tell you ... just in case if you did not know it ...

Men are already liberated ... they are born to it .... there is no need for a pioneer in " XY"  Realm.  

Have you not heard this bull shit? "They are men what do you expect? "

and God forbid if that is ever a woman. There is one solution only ... stone her to death !!!  Kill her before she mislead the other women ..... now how is it that every one is so scared of a woman's sexual power? 

for your information .. there were many great poets in the history that had extramarital love affairs or were experiencing forbidden loves. They were never stoned to death as much as Forough got stoned in our culture by both ignorant Iranian men and ignorant Iranian women ..... 

Now I have  aright to talk about this well known poet as much as any one else does including the ignorant Iranian women ...... 

Thank you Mahvash Shahegh for your last two cents,

Your comment clarifies your position regarding the sentence in question.

I take it that your questions are rhetorical, but nevertheless I’d like to answer this one, have we ever asked if a male poet was married or not when he wrote a love poem for his mistress?  Yes, I would definitely ask that question, if it was claimed that he was a pioneer in men's emancipation and liberty.

Would you believe it if she said it herself?!!

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbYL7ONzyJo&feature...

Please listen carefully to the first part of the attached video. 

"Aslan Zan o Mard matrah niist" (her quote)

and please do not attach your own agenda to well known poets. 

Equal opportunity

Dear BDM,

When I am talking of emancipation, I mean that Forough was the first one who opened up her poems to women’s feelings and sentiments; something that was a taboo before her. The female poets  before her could not even get their manly poems published let alone to talk about their womanly feelings. ( Parvin Etesami’s father, at first, did not agree to get her poems published and thought it would hurt the family’s reputation!!)

 Forough liberated Persian poetry of being just the domain of men and their feelings. She created an equal opportunity. It is this aspect that I call it liberation and emancipation. If a man is allowed talking about his love and love affairs why not a woman?  Have we ever asked if male poets were married or not when they write a love poem for their mistresses? Why should we ask this question about women and, in particular, about Forough? Why do we have a double standard?

 I, usually, look at what have been said rather than who said it. It is my personal belief. Therefore, I just concentrate on Forough’s poems and leave her biography to biographers.

And one more time, I reiterate that Forough liberated Persian poems of just being a domain of men’s feelings and she created equal opportunity in her poems.

 My last two cents!

Dear SK, I guess different people see it differently

I focus on her poetry skills and that is of untmost importance to me.

Anahid

I totally agree with MG and what he said about Forough .... 

"Forough's defiance against all the dominant bullshit morality play of her time remains her most singular acheivement. " 

Of course her poetry is an achievement but it would not have been so if she had not been fighting so passionately against the bull shits that still exists in our culture with the only weapon that she had which was her poetry ......

MG....

I made some correction on what I wrote about her in my blog after you mentioned it to me that her marriage was not an arranged one ... Although in the following site it is mentioned that it was.

//www.womeninworldhistory.com/index.html

I went through some of her letters that you posted and it clearly states that she waned to marry him.  Although I have not read anything passionate there but I give credit to you that at least it was not arranged .....  but She was just 16 years old .... how much one knows at that age anyway?

Having said that what I just wrote about Iranian culture and the Iranian women struggles is nothing but truth .....

I have nothing against marriage but you have to love the one you marry and the passion should be kept alive if not then whether there is an affair or not would not change the fact that it is a non functional and failed marriage.   

Sometimes it is the affair that causes drifting apart but do not forget that in most cases it is the drifting apart that leads to affairs ....

still we are not here to judge ......  

By the way, by writing no one makes money ... almost all the great poets in the history died poor ..  

Dear MG. Forough's poetry is her most important achievement

MG you wrote:" Forough's defiance against all the dominant bullshit morality play of her time remains her most singular acheivement. "

 I don't agree.  Forough's most important achievement is her great poetry. Written in a musical language that can be understood by vast number of people, full of imagery, observations about society and simply fantastic poems. I don't see her most important achievement her defiance. Many can defy but only selected few can write poetry like she wrote.

The issue remains that a BDM is simply hopeless

Not only you're  incapable of understanding and appreciating life's complexities. You're utterly ignorant  of the individuals you're talking about. Forough's defiance against all the dominant bullshit morality play of her time remains her most singular acheivement. Something that should be obviuos for any liberated person, and all individulas freed from such dominant bullshit morality play. Then again you look so deeply engulfed in it,  you're truly hopeless.

به جُستجوی تو
بر درگاهِ کوه می‌گریم،
در آستانه‌ی دریا و علف.

به جُستجوی تو
در معبرِ بادها می‌گریم
در چارراهِ فصول،
در چارچوبِ شکسته‌ی پنجره‌یی
که آسمانِ ابرآلوده را
قابی کهنه می‌گیرد.
. . . . . . . . . .

به انتظارِ تصویرِ تو
این دفترِ خالی
تا چند
تا چند
ورق خواهد خورد؟

□

جریانِ باد را پذیرفتن
و عشق را
که خواهرِ مرگ است. ــ

و جاودانگی
رازش را
با تو در میان نهاد.

پس به هیأتِ گنجی درآمدی:
بایسته و آزانگیز
گنجی از آن‌دست
که تملکِ خاک را و دیاران را
از اینسان
دلپذیر کرده است!

□

نامت سپیده‌دمی‌ست که بر پیشانی‌ِ آسمان می‌گذرد
ــ متبرک باد نامِ تو! ــ

و ما همچنان
دوره می‌کنیم
شب را و روز را
هنوز را...

//www.shamlou.org/index.php?q=node/508

Stick to the issue

I have no doubt that Forough’s poems are liked by many people.  I have no doubt that many people are proud of her and her poetry, and have no doubt that the number of the Iranian women who are stuck in unhappy marriages, for one reason or another, add up to millions, so those guilt trips don’t work on me.  So, let’s stay with the point.

This article claims that Forough is a poetess who is the pioneer in women’s emancipation and liberation, something that all Iranian women are indebted to her for it, which to me sounds like an unbelievable amount of meaningless compliment, regardless of how and under what circumstances one chooses to have a love affair with a married man, and no matter how much “men like me” are being disliked by some women.  Those issues are seperate ones from the one that is claimed by this article.

P.S.  Just to be clear, because in no time at all I’ll be accused of being a sexist, I also loathe the men who cheat on their beloved’s covenant.

BDM jan, take that

And tis for SK and all other true students of Forough.May you all, live long, make lots of money , and write well. Since we all know,  writing well, is the ultimate revenge, cheers

These are Forough's letters to her husband Parviz Shapor (lovingly known by friends and family as Shapor Khan), edited by Kamyar Shapor (her son) and Emran Salahi.

//www.ketabfarsi.org/ketabkhaneh/ketabkhani/a...

BDM

Millions of Iranian women are passively dragged into unwanted marriages and are trapped in passionless marriages because of the stupid Iranian culture that has existed for centuries.  Millions of Iranian women stay in it because they have no rights to initiate divorce and even if they do they will loose their children. Millions of Iranian women have not been getting proper education and can not financially support themselves being forced to marry to a much older man at a very young age.  So divorce to them means live on the street or become a prostitute.  Millions of Iranian women have forced to believe that to be a woman is to be a mother and nothing else. A woman has no other desires and needs.   Do not even get me started cause i am so pissed off by man like you ...... No one here says it is a good idea for a married man and a married woman to have relationship with each other.... but we have no rights to cast the blame on anyone cause the circumstances that contribute to this are beyond our understandings.   ..... and yes I am a woman and I am proud of her  ... I want to frame her poem the " SIN" in gold and hang it in the heart of every single Iranian woman... so they stop being so passive in their choices ......  

To the people who don’t know how to read,

Since the main point of this article is about correct translation and since one of the sentences that I translated out of this article was not disputed by anyone then I assume it is safe to say that this is what the writer of this article is saying, “We, the Iranian women altogether, are indebted to this brave lady of the Persian poetry [Forough] and the pioneer in women's emancipation and liberty.”  Go and learn how to read now.

Millions of Iranian woman believe in the institution of marriage.  Now, if a couple of women out there believe marriage is a phony-baloney thing, that’s fine, but it does not change the fact that millions of Iranian woman still believe in the institution of marriage, and they still believe marriage is a covenant between one man and one woman, by moral, religious, cultural, emotional, and legal beliefs.  Yet here in this article it says that Forough was the pioneer in women’s emancipation and liberty, something that all Iranian women are indebted to her for it.  But, I seriously doubt that millions of Iranian women who believe in the covenant of marriage would consider her the pioneer in emancipation and liberty once her love affair with a married man would come into the equation.  When this article holds Forough up to being a sacred entity by saying, “We, the Iranian women altogether…,” it does the same thing as saying we are all sheep.  ‘We are all sheep and we need an emancipator, a liberator, someone who doesn’t believe in morality, rules, commitment, inside or outside the law, someone who breaks covenants and writes nice poems about it, and millions of Iranian women are all indebted to her no matter who she chooses to sleep with.’

So considering her sexual love affair with a married man, was Forough a pioneer in the Iranian women’s emancipation and liberty, and if so are all Iranian women indebted to her for it, or not millions but only a handful of Iranian women consider that kind of behavior liberating and emancipating?  Or, is it that she just didn’t believe in the institution of marriage so she shacked up with a married man, something that millions of Iranian women would not approve of, no matter what nice poems she wrote about it?  Or, is it that the guy didn’t have the guts to commit himself to one woman at a time so he shacked up with the two of them, something that millions of Iranian women would not approve of, no matter what nice pictures he made, and what nice poems she wrote about it.

P.S.  whose poems I like, or don’t like, is irrelevant to who is being considered here to be the pioneer in the women's emancipation and liberty by all Iranian women.

Defiance

Okay, I can buy that.  :)

...

The poetry of Forough  (and all other great ones before her, Jahan Khaton, Mahasti Ganjavi, Tahreh....) is above all an uncompromising statement of defiance.  How such a defiance took shape in Forough's discourse, was itself a process that took a while, her short life never allowed us to see more of it.

Let us have faith in begining of a cold season.