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Leila and me
09-Jan-2008
We talk about the Shah here all the time but we never talk about Leila. I wrote a poem about Leila once. It was exactly three years ago, at the time when I went under. I went under because of a Persian Male--one of those with eyes of Eternity and kohl, who oozed Hafez from every pore in veiled dank misty rivers. You know the type, but at the time I didn’t, and so I fell in love. And he fell out and I went under. Into a very dark place. And when I came back, I’d written this poem. Or this poem had written me.
So walk with me if you will down this very dark road. I will navigate you ithrough it to its hidden light... Biya ta tariki barafshanim.
Leila Pahlavi died alone at night in Leonard Hotel near Marble Arch, in London in June, 2001. The cause of her death was given as a combination of pharmaceutical sleeping pills and other pharmaceutical and recreational drugs, along with anorexia nervosa. If you believe she was assassinated, you may not get much from this poem. In it, I went on Leila's journey to the other side, to Irkalla, the land the Sumerians and Babylonians called the Great Below. And we two, Leila and I, did not go alone. We went with the goddess Inanna.
In Sumero-Babylonian mythology, Inanna/Ishtar, Goddess of Love, makes this journey of her own free choice, to visit her dark sister, Ereshkigal, the Queen of the land of the dead. Inanna must undergo what all the dead must when they enter her sister’s realm. She must pass through seven gates, at each one further stripped of her garments and judged, Once naked. she must be slaughtered by her own sister and her carcass hanged from a peg. But she is rescued by her servant and two hermaphrodites, who embody the balance of the male and female. That is to say, resurrected.
This myth is a clear prefiguration of the Christian Crucifixion as well as the Greek Persephone and Orpheus myths. What is striking, however, is that the journey to the Great Below in this earlier version belongs exclusively to women. It is women’s own violence, grief and rage, which must be confronted and assimilated by themselves, and not projected onto men, if women are ever to be free. In this process lies their Power
I have said similar things about Iran.. No matter how severe the foreign interventions have been, Iran must own its own history. Only then can she be whole. Finally the female voices in this poem who speak violently against the Shah, the Eternal Father, have no political content whatsoever.
Leonard Hotel near Marble Arch
(Descent into Irkalla)
Open the leaves of morning’s door.
-Morning Prayer of Imam Ali
Princess Leila, Leila-joon
They have scattered all the stones
that you gathered for them faithfully.
And they’re gone now, all of them.
What a fine June night to take a walk.
To step into your sister’s arms who
waits for you at Marble Arch.
She’s been waiting far too long
Stumble to her in the dark
but soft my sweet insomniac.
Rest assured, but rest forearmed
This is no valentino runway.
And anyway, you’re far too thin.
It’s right that you refused their seeds.
This is no styx. There are no men
on chariots to pull you in.
(Nor shahbahnous to fetch you).
Still better take some nourishment
for if you do not come back up
good doctor iqbal’s r and x’s
will get all the credit.
Which only feeds the status quo
–-those coroners what do they know–
and this is no connecticut. Come,
take your sister’s medicine.
Now down the hatch we go.
Welcome to Irkalla dear.
Strange no man’s land.
Here are no salad days at brown
no birds no poems no peacock thrones
to dream you more of their irans.
But only sister’s loving hands.
You see how low she bows you, how deftly
she removes your crown. And
you thought they had done so. Let’s
undress the true wounds now.
Princess leila, leila-joon
You’re nothing but a bag of bones.
Strange strange karbala.
That was the first gate.
And seven times she’ll strip you blind
and seven you’ll be judged. Not by the ones
of books and stones
but by the searing pangs of a
kind of a driven labour of love.
Sink sleepwalker deep into her slumber
feeding succorless on placenta of grief you can
see how much she grieves,
she
grieves for her consort and
for all the endless dead, convulsive
uncontrollable venom of grief she
grieves because she’s angry, grieves because she’s jealous, because
you left her all alone here to rot in this hellhole maligned forgotten
misunderstood stuck in this godforsaken sewer pit this
stinking shithole of a great below while upstairs you rode alpha
romeos with all those lovers you could never love because you
chose to love only him spewing his megalomanias into the wind part
cyrus part che part errol flynn that party at persepolis boy that was rich
not to mention that ridiculous white revolution you
stupid anorectic bitch what the
hell’s gotten into you starving
yourself for the sake of your fucking father well
here are no fathers but only larvae so
don’t you dare to cry out for him missy when she
hangs you out from her peg to dry your
carcass a slab of maggot-ridden meat whose
flesh eats foetal into the bone it is
forbidden
to cry out
for him for them
we take care of
the forsaking here thank you
listen sleeping beauty
daddy’s little girl
we do the putrefying they
are not answerable we
are the clean-up crew we
are reliable this is
our golgotha our
sacred suicide this is
women’s work lily it is
between you and the
flies
and then in the original myth
the two hermaphrodites fashioned from the dirt beneath the ocean’s fingernails
with the help of the ever-faithful servant
waft inanna back up to the sky
and you Lady ship
would you too rise
as the sun soaked through your window from Oxford Street
and room service knocked on your door
if I only could have held you in my arms and told you so
as you lay prone in your posh hotel shorn of your cast-off robes how
distended into darkness deep in amniotic fluid sac of gall
the embryo is still born. Darling darling
do not fear the fear for her killing bed
is our wedding bed where her rage shall midwife
the chrysalis of foam, sole alembic from which we emerge
Whole, white goddess, parturient of mourning,
Imam, finally, of our own becoming.
would you take from me this silver tray
of breakfast tea and scones
had I only known you Leila
oh, had I only known
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Dear Justice, well.... PS Azarin
by Rosie T. on Thu Jan 10, 2008 06:25 AM PSTa lot of the reason why I'm so adamant about mercy is because so many people extend their vitriole against the perpetrators in the regime to Muslims in general, along with that fairy tale scenario of this is the "real" Iran if we could only just erase 1400 years of THOSE people...so you see...that's why I talk about mercy...the issue has so many tentacles reaching into so many places....anyway, hope you liked Portia.
PS Azarin, thanks so much for everything.
No, Colonel,
by Rosie T. on Thu Jan 10, 2008 06:18 AM PSTit's nothing at all like what you think and I really CAN'T talk about it here. It was just a question of being cut off, just like that, and of feeling totally erased, obliterated. There were no family issues or other people involved. It just...happened.... Well...anyway...try to watch your mouth, will you? I'd be very happy if yu would.
Merci for Merchant of Venice
by Justice (not verified) on Thu Jan 10, 2008 06:13 AM PSTYes, I also believe in Mercy. But as you said, "justice must be tempered by mercy", however, mercy should not replace justice. That will be up to all iranians of the time collectively. But this bunch never had mercy on anyone; on the contrary, they had plenty of mercy on the victimizers.
There is right now an article on this site in Persian, reporting from iran that the supreme court ruled in a case involving a young soon-to-be-married couple who were detained by IRI agents because they were walking in the park together, then possibly raped, then murdered. The lady was a very young doctor from south west of iran. Supreme court ruled in favor of the criminals since 'they were performing their islamic duty to fight corruption'.
I, personally, do not favor capital punishment, they should rot in a dungeon for eternity instead -- so that is the maximum level of mercy that they should get.
Justice will serve the future generations well as well, to teach them to be responsible and be prepared to take responsibility for their mischieves.
These people are criminal cowards - plain and simple. They commit crime, associate it with their god, and justify it with their religion.
Foul language
by Colonel Hemayat (not verified) on Thu Jan 10, 2008 06:06 AM PSTSorry about my mouth, but you have to understand me, it comes from my army back ground and now managing tow trucks with their rough sub-culturre add to it my age, and bitterness, and passion for my King and Country, and you will get it!! I promise JJ (Joe Jerkoff) to be a good little boy! ;)
Khoda-Shah-Mihan
What happened to ROSIE?
by Colonel Hemayat (not verified) on Thu Jan 10, 2008 05:59 AM PSTWhat exactly happened with your Iranian lover?
I am sorry, I know it is a private matter, but I must know.
This is what I guess.
His family, specially his mother was at the root of it?
They found him a young, Iranian, Muslim virgin? and he finally dropped you, and even after that for a while he would come back to you for sex?
Khoda-Shah-Mihan
To David--You don't understand what this poem says about Leila..
by Rosie T. on Thu Jan 10, 2008 05:50 AM PSTand I really wish I could explain it to you. But there's so many aspects ...but I think the most important one is that this poem explores the killing effects of patriarchy on women and on the female principle in general. I write about patriarchy all the time onsite and we see it all around us every day. We know this "civilzation" is killing us.
Leila didn't commit suicide technically, but she did live a kind of death in life under the oppressive weight of the legacy of her father and grandfather and her culture. It is as though she was crushed by it as by a stone.
Her descent here is mythic so it stands absolutely for all women, in our search to become "finally, the Imam of our own becoming". It is universal. I'm not romanticizing or glorifying her. I don't have to. She was who she was. The daughter of the Shah of Iran. Perhaps the last major embodiment of the archetype of Kingship, of the Eternal Father, in history. She lived a fairy tale...and died one too...and it was tragic, David, tragic. Hope your flu is better... Rosie
Re: kourosh sassanian
by Mahboubeh_Alayee:: (not verified) on Thu Jan 10, 2008 04:35 AM PSTRose, there is a comment about KS regarding what was said a few comments ago on Shah's last interview also: //iranian.com/main/singlepage/2008/shahs-...
Well - interesting :) !!
To Kaveh P. - constitutional monarchy PS Good-bye Rose
by Rosie T. on Thu Jan 10, 2008 04:11 AM PSTDear Kaveh,
Thank you for your thoughtful post. I didn't answer it sooner because it required a bit of thought.
You call yourself a "Shaahi" but also "non-Zionist, anti-colonialist, pacifist, left-leaning, and hopeful" like me. So I hardly think you have to worry about being totalitarian. The problem is some Shaahis are still motivated by revenge. But you're not. So I don't see a problem with your favoring a constitutional monarchy.
I hear so many conflicting versions from expats of the situation on the ground in Iran that it sounds like the blind men and the elephant. This one assures me that there would be massive bloodshed in the event of a Restoration, that one (not himself a Shaahi) that the youth are yearning for one. I'm not Iranian. How you put your house in order isn't my affair. I only know two things:
1) It simply can't be argued that a constitutional monarchy IS a legitimate form of parliamentary democracy, and 2) when the time comes, ,there will be a UN monitored referendum in Iran and it is the Iranian people themselves who will choose. You have to go with your conscience and convictions about what you truly believe is best for Iran.
And just for the record, for other readers, NO, I DID NOT SAY THAT I ADVOCATE A CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY. But that wasn't the question I was asked. The question was whether a sincere seeker has the right to uphold whatever personal truths (s)he gleans along the path. And the answer is yes.
PS Good-bye Rose was VERY VERY beautiful.
Be careful Rosie
by bita.rahm24 (not verified) on Thu Jan 10, 2008 02:19 AM PSTwhat javad has said is all across the site - what a character this guy kouroush is: Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hide incarnate :) ! hmmm
Rosie Joon
by Javad Agha Mortazavi (not verified) on Thu Jan 10, 2008 01:53 AM PST. I have read almost all of the comments here
. I also read last weekend Bahmani's Blog, and the discussions in JJ's blog regarding the multiple names and personalities of Kouroush Sassanian
. I have seen that some comments here are very delicately and diplomatically cautioning you to be careful with this Guy
. Let me be overt about this:
. In my opinion, at the very least, he is a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
. Remember the saying: First time shame on you, second time shame on me
. Be careful not to fall back in his trap
. Don't let his charm fool you
. I want you to know that I do know a couple of guys who actually know him
To Nadia
by Jammy (not verified) on Thu Jan 10, 2008 12:18 AM PSTI have my own laptop. Causing "havoc"? I think not.
to huh?:Mea Culpa!
by Azarin Sadegh on Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:58 PM PSTHi huh?
Please don't start another fight with Jamshid! Mea Culpa. I should have been more careful, but I was just so impressed by Rosie's remarkable way of handling Colonel's anger and calming him down...A few hours ago, I was going to flag all of his comments to be deleted but Rosie and David asked for keeping the comments. I am still impressed with her, but you're right. I am the representative of nobody, especially not all Iranians, so Mea Culpa!
I wish more Iranians were like Rosie...this was what I meant to say.
Thanks for your input,
Azarin Sadegh
Since when did they install
by Nadias on Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:56 PM PSTcomputers for personal use at the hospital? I think you just have nothing better to do than to cause havoc. You sure did come to the right place.
There is such a thing as time zones. However, it is late for me and time for Nadia to go to sleep.
Buenas noches...........zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
solh va doosti
Nadia
To Rosie's clubbies
by Jammy (not verified) on Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:51 PM PSTYou people who belong to Rosie's club, do you have jobs? I mean, it's late ... and you guys are exchanging like crazy. I have a good excuse: am in a hospital. What about you? Jeez!
Dear Jamshid
by David ET on Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:48 PM PSTI was simply explaining why I had refrained from answering questions about me otherwise I didn't mind you asking:-)
Indeed we must remove the poison starting with our own than with the blood of others
and yes we all have much in common , we all are human and being a humanitarian is a good start for us Iranians and the rest ...
Rosie: I promise I will not post so much as soon as my flu is better and I leave home :D
How much?
by Jammy (not verified) on Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:44 PM PSTHow much do you love me, Rosie? :-)
Jammy
Ps. Do you have a job?
I believe that people have the ability..........
by Nadias on Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:42 PM PSTto change. Change may be difficult and a long process but it is do able. I had an immense hate nine years ago and now it is gone.
If I can let go of the hate, I know others can too. You have to be willing to let go of the hate and in doing so, the pain will come. You will work through the pain and you will feel and live again. In time the joy will return. It is a process. A worth while process.
You don't forgive for the sake of those who hurt you but for your sake and the sake of Iran. You will need to think objectively if you are to find solutions for Iran.
solh va doosti
Nadia
Jammy,
by Rosie T. on Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:31 PM PSTI love you.
Rosie
To: Huh?
by jamshid on Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:30 PM PSTAnd since when have YOU become the representative of all Iranians who visit this site, to allow yourself to categorize all Iranians and say "zateh maa dorost shodani nist" (our essence is not correctable)? Could you answer please?
There is a word called "hypocrite".
Your honor !
by David ET on Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:29 PM PSTDid we miss something? Was IR overthrown? How? Who is in now power? Was there an election? What system is in Iran? Who is in charge? Is there a parliament? What about the national budget? What is the plan to improve the economy? Does Iran have relationships with USA , Isreal? How about Cuba? Where are Reza, masoud ? What happend to Basij and Pasdaran? How about Ebadi and Ganji? Where is Ayatollah Montazavi? Is Delara Darabi in prison?
or should we switch back to cry for Leila channel?
Or turn on the Iranian LA Satelittle TV's and watch the last concert in Dubai?
Nah never mind, the court TV seem interesting ...go on :-)
Re: David
by jamshid on Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:20 PM PSTI know this article is not about you. I was just curious. I think we have a lot of common beliefs, as I agree with everthing you stated.
I think most Iranians do have a lot of common grounds. If a method of communication could exist between Iranians to draw from these common grounds, and focus on the similarities rather than on the differences, a lot more could be accomplished for our country.
So what is stopping us? I think the answer is poison. We Iranians are poisoned. We are poisoned by one thing: Hate. Unfortunately, just as with love, it is one of the most difficult feelings to overcome.
Afforded . . .
by Kouroush Sassanian on Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:12 PM PSTThese seyyeds will be affored every due process right necessary for them to have fair and full trials. They will be treated with respect, however, once they are convicts they will be treated as such.
Their daughters and wives will not be raped before them.
Their sons will not be sodomized before them.
They will not endure mock executions.
The sins of the their fathers will not be imputed to the sons, unless their sons have been found guilty.
Their virgin daughters will not be raped before they are executed.
They will not be stoned to death.
They will not have their eyes plucked.
They will not be tortured.
They will not be sodomized or raped.
They will not be cut slowly to pieces.
To Justice...no doubt...
by Rosie T. on Wed Jan 09, 2008 10:48 PM PSTjustice should be served. But as you seem to realize (and SOME people don't quite get it yet), justice does not include hate speech and justice cannot be blind. And justice must be tempered by mercy. This was the great contribution of Christianity to human development. Its promise has has not yet been fulfilled but we have to work towards it. Otherwise, our collective goose is cooked.
I'm sending you Portia's speech in the court of law, from Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice": It's one of our most famous passages in English literature, as you may know. Please note that it is addressed to the plaintiiff, Shylock, the age-old stereotyped dirty, greedy Jew, who wants his pound of flesh. And as you probably know, I am...najes..
The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea;
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there.
Justice should be served.
by Justice (not verified) on Wed Jan 09, 2008 10:22 PM PSTIRI leaders must be brought to justice, a fair and transparent justice.
They have brought so much pain to so many and for so long.
They brought so much tears to the eyes of so many parents.
They destroyed a benign country, a country with a future.
They deceived so many people for so long.
They lied to a whole nation.
They depleted resources of a country.
They robbed weak children of iran to give to their arab protege.
Justice should be served to prevent revenge.
Justice should be served as a lesson to the future would be evils, to discourage them from playing the same tune again and again.
They brought serious and lasting damage to iran and iranians. Justice should be served upon all IRI leaders decisively.
They will pay!
by Kouroush Sassanian on Wed Jan 09, 2008 10:23 PM PSTIran Exonerates Six Who Killed in Islam’s Name.
//www.nytimes.com/2007/04/19/world/middleeast/19iran.html?ex=1334721600&en=2068caeccdfc0c50&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
These scum will be loved and embraced and forgiven , as they suck on a berno!
to Azarin Sadegh-learn to speak ONLY for yourself
by huh? (not verified) on Wed Jan 09, 2008 10:10 PM PSTThanks Rosie for your unique sense of humanity and for your true originality. You are going to be our muse, a true inspiration to all of us, the Iranians of Iranian.com. ...by Azarin Sadegh
.
Only a truly ignorant person, or a dictator will make a comment like above. Since when have you become a representative of ALL Iranians who visit this site, to allow yourself to speak on ALL their behalves?
I have no particular opinion about Rosie & this piece, I just wanted to show the absurdity of your statement. zateh maa dorost shodani nist.. khodet ro natoonesti eslah koni in hameh saleh dar kharej, va natoonesti me'-yar khoobeh gharb ro yad begiri...truly shameful
hit them whereever you can find them . . .
by Kouroush Sassanian on Wed Jan 09, 2008 10:02 PM PSTCyrus Elahi!
I do not eat tuna, unless they are free of death.
Don't attach your replies to any of the
by Nadias on Wed Jan 09, 2008 09:58 PM PSTabusive language posts or your comment will be deleted too. You can attach your reply to a post you know will not be deleted. You can also go all the way down and start a new posted comment.
I learned this the hard way. Just some friendly advise.
solh va doosti
Nadia
Kouroush,
by Rosie T. on Wed Jan 09, 2008 09:55 PM PSTgimme a break for chrissake....
the world is a mess, Iran's a mess. What do you expect? Iran is the secret soul of Eurasia, the hub of the global village. Of COURSE she's going to be more of a mess the worse the planetary imbalance becomes. That doesn't give you an excuse to go around spewing hate and vitriole.
... what is going on with your creative writing and have you swum with the dolphins yet is what I want to know..
mizooni? midooni?
NEVER AGAIN is NEVER AGAIN, for EVERYONE, and that is that. Case closed.
Ayatollah Rosie Tozih
Explanation of Pogroms
oh, no there will be more guilty than not!
by Kouroush Sassanian on Wed Jan 09, 2008 09:47 PM PSTThe Nazis were not in power for 30 years! Don't forget Hans Fritzsche! He was not immune!