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 The necklaceBy Simin Behbahani Translated by Korosh Khalili February 20, 2002 The Iranian Distressed and Depressed, Deluded and Dejected, Her face not hidden by the veil, nor her Hejab corrected Bothered not was she, by arrest or seize Nor by the vice of the Virtue Police Her eyes like two grapes: plucked and pressed by fate Her tears, the bloody brew: many a soul would devastate Insane she was, purely insane, incognizant of foe or friend She would not awake from oblivion, where great tremors to signal the End Like dust trapped in a sandstorm: Selflessly carried, helplessly hurried Purposeless, silent, startled, stunned: A corpse she was, yet to be buried A pair of laces: tied about her neck, a Dead Soldier's boots: hanging from those threads "What charm is this?" inquired I. She turned to me wearing a smile: "My baby's so tired," She answered my call, "So I carry him, wearing boots an' all" Translator's Note The purpose of this translation was to expose the poem (written in 1987) and poet to a wider audience. As I am neither a poet, nor a translator, I apologize for the inadequacies of this translation. The readers should refer to the original (published in USA, Negaar-e Golgoon, Ketab Corp, 1998) to discover the many subtleties which are lost here. For an alternative, more of a free verse tranlation, please see "A Cup of Sin, selected poems of Simin Behbahani" (Syracuse University Press, 1999).
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