Anahid Hojjati

I will make some changes in this poem

I am going to make changes in this poem so it does a better job stating the position of some people. as it is written now,

version of the poem as it was featured: 

It must be the poets' fault

if they did not write

of beautiful women bringing wine

or a girl missing her lover 

or if there was no mention

of a candle, or god forbid a butterfly

would we have violence toward women?

Says no, the cafe intellectual

so damn the poet, damn the poet

Oh, no, it must be the jokes

if the jokester did not write of a man

coming home to his wife in bed with another

and the jokester added,

actually man did nothing

would we have violence toward women?

no, says the cafe intellectual

so damn the jokester, damn the jokester

meanwhile the youth is in prison, small or big

a woman dies by stones

or a chair is pulled

but what I hear is

damn the poet, damn the jokester

Shamloo was right

these are strange times

damn the poet , damn the jokester

 it is as if some people are saying that blame is solely with poets and jokesters. However, what they say is that poems and jokes are partly to blame. The poem might become less musical but it is important to make these changes.

Translation of this poem from English to Farsi

لعنت بر شاعر باد , لعنت بر آنکه جوک گفت

حتمأ تقصیر با شاعران است
اگر از زن زیبا با شرابش نمی نوشتند
یا از دختری در عشق  نمی گفتند
اگر حرفی از شمع و پروانه نبود
آیا خشونتی بر زنان می شد ؟
برخی روشنفکران , شاعر را شریک جرم می دانند
پس لعنت بر شاعر باد !
پس لعنت بر شاعر باد !

آه , نه , شاید تقصیر از جوک است
اگر در جوک نمی نوشتند
مردی خانه آمد , زنش را با دیگری دید
اما مرد هیچ کاری نکرد
شاید اگر این جوک نبود
آیا خشونتی بر زنان می شد ؟
برخی روشنفکران , جوک را هم شریکِ جرم می دانند
پس لعنت بر آنکه جوک گفت
لعنت بر خودِ جوک هم باد !

در همین حال جوانان ایران در زندانهایِ کوچک و بزرگند
زنی را سنگسار می کنند
یا با کشیدن صندلی ,
یک زندگی را پایان می دهند
و من می شنوم
لعنت بر شاعر باد !
لعنت بر آنکه جوک گفت ,
شاملو درست می گفت:
«دوران غریبی است»
پس بگوییم
لعنت بر شاعر باد !
لعنت بر آنکه جوک گفت !

Please note that this translation is not word to word. For instance, out of respect to those intellectuals who really think that the poet and the jokes are partly to blame for violence towaard women,  I have changed cafe intellectuals to 

برخی روشنفکران 

Orang jan, thanks for sharing your fantastic poems,loved them

Dear Orang, many thanks for sharing your excellent poems on this thread. Thanks for addressing strong Iranian women in your poetry. We need more poems like these. Loved them all and I would like to insert one of your poems here: 

دختر ایرانی

ای دختر ایرانی

تو با چشم عسلی با خال شرقی

شکنجه میدهی

این قلب بی قرار

ای دختر ایرانی

تو را چگونه میشود فهمید

به انتهای رازت

چگونه رسید

ای دختر ایرانی

تو اول شعر بدنبال عشقی نه حمایت

آخر خط تو فقط مادر حامی

اینست راز بقایت؟

ای دختر ایرانی

تو ماهی قرمز آزاده ای

گرفتار حوضچه توی حیاط

در عمق قرنها سنت وحماقت

ای دختر ایرانی

تو را باید فهمید

تا سحر چو پروانه با تو رقصید

با تو باید سوخت

به انتظار روزگاری بهتر

Anahid jan : Poems about strong women

Anahid jan 

I wrote few poems about this (see below).

You may ask Nazi to start a "call to action" about this subject. She does it very well.

//iranian.com/main/blog/orang-gholikhani-153

//iranian.com/main/blog/orang-gholikhani-22

//iranian.com/main/blog/orang-gholikhani-63

Ghorbanat

Orang

Criticism is fine, it is the silencing that I have problem with

I would like to note that by my poem, I do not mean to deny that in Persian poetry, there is a serious need for poems to address the fact that women are in charge of their own destiny (or should be) and not just some hapless romantic. Few weeks ago, I even drafted  a poem regarding the fact that I want my poems to be about strong women not just some fluffy love issues. So I get that sometimes the images that our poems project might not be in line with what our society needs so badly now.

 I am not either saying that our jokes are all great. My parents are from Lorestan and we have all heard jokes about Lors. Also being from Abadan, I am familiar with jokes about Rayban and more. The problem that I have is with self censoring and silencing the poets or telling people what they are supposed to laugh at. Iranian society has been faced with censoring its literature in the hands of its rulers. Our writers/poets have been put in jail and tortured so we do not need our intellectuals to add to this censorship either. Analysis yes, like when Mehrban wrote the article about why in Persian poetry, we see much discussion of love but hardly mention of care. That generated healthy debate but to tell people that please do not say Rashti jokes, now this is what I have problem with.