From Lies "از دروغ"
Published 1375
From lies, or ", is a groundbreaking book in modern Persian poetry. It has been reviewed extensively elsewhere, and deservedly. The hallmarks of this work are its unique vocabulary and conceptual novelty. The poems have a lyrical atmosphere and are in fluent, correct Persian; and this is where the similarity of this work to other important Persian poetry volumes ends. In a lyrical, thoughtful tone, the poems deliver striking statements about life, love and desire as seen through the eyes of a modern woman. A pleasant playfulness starts from the dedication line: "To Saghi, who is my best playmate". The poems are candid in a way never seen in Persian poetry before, and beautifully so. Highly intimate moments are painted vividly with very few words, and in an equally concise way, the grand dilemmas faced by all modern, thinking women are beautifully brought on paper. The usage of words is equally unusual: "tomorrow, which is like snake poison and is also a liar...", or, in another case, a highly offensive four letter word is used in a setting so appropriate that the repulsive word becomes part of the lyrical structure of the poem. This, to my knowledge, has never been seen in Persian poetry. My own favorite poems, though, are those dealing with the emotional experience of being a modern woman. In the poem "Blue", it's all about proud, defiant self assertion. The sky is not farther than the reach of the protagonist of the poem, and her infractions of the traditional rules are stars, and not shameful stains, on her skirt. In "Love", it's the brutal reality of modern relationships: "does not sing, does not have wings... and is lost, among the clangings of the pots and pans at noon, and the rustle of beddings at night". The poem "Candle" is erotically romantic "I lit the candle, and the wine bottle. There is still a drop left of the night, a bite from me". In "wisdom", the poet takes issue with traditions and taboos: "had we asked the wind and water and earth, or the fields and mountains and meadows, now we were at a mountaintop, or a seashore. I asked my mother. She reluctantly walked to the pantry. Hunger..., a bowl of decaying wheat, was what she poured in my hands". In "We", it's the great dilemma of modern feminism: "we were of the same substance as the fish and the deer. They called us nymphs. We stared blankly with our large black eyes, and escaped, escaped, escaped. But once we stopped escaping, and dared to love back, we were no longer fish or deer, and no longer nymphs either". Overall, a very important work in Modern Persian poetry.
Published 1375
From lies, or ", is a groundbreaking book in modern Persian poetry. It has been reviewed extensively elsewhere, and deservedly. The hallmarks of this work are its unique vocabulary and conceptual novelty. The poems have a lyrical atmosphere and are in fluent, correct Persian; and this is where the similarity of this work to other important Persian poetry volumes ends. In a lyrical, thoughtful tone, the poems deliver striking statements about life, love and desire as seen through the eyes of a modern woman. A pleasant playfulness starts from the dedication line: "To Saghi, who is my best playmate". The poems are candid in a way never seen in Persian poetry before, and beautifully so. Highly intimate moments are painted vividly with very few words, and in an equally concise way, the grand dilemmas faced by all modern, thinking women are beautifully brought on paper. The usage of words is equally unusual: "tomorrow, which is like snake poison and is also a liar...", or, in another case, a highly offensive four letter word is used in a setting so appropriate that the repulsive word becomes part of the lyrical structure of the poem. This, to my knowledge, has never been seen in Persian poetry. My own favorite poems, though, are those dealing with the emotional experience of being a modern woman. In the poem "Blue", it's all about proud, defiant self assertion. The sky is not farther than the reach of the protagonist of the poem, and her infractions of the traditional rules are stars, and not shameful stains, on her skirt. In "Love", it's the brutal reality of modern relationships: "does not sing, does not have wings... and is lost, among the clangings of the pots and pans at noon, and the rustle of beddings at night". The poem "Candle" is erotically romantic "I lit the candle, and the wine bottle. There is still a drop left of the night, a bite from me". In "wisdom", the poet takes issue with traditions and taboos: "had we asked the wind and water and earth, or the fields and mountains and meadows, now we were at a mountaintop, or a seashore. I asked my mother. She reluctantly walked to the pantry. Hunger..., a bowl of decaying wheat, was what she poured in my hands". In "We", it's the great dilemma of modern feminism: "we were of the same substance as the fish and the deer. They called us nymphs. We stared blankly with our large black eyes, and escaped, escaped, escaped. But once we stopped escaping, and dared to love back, we were no longer fish or deer, and no longer nymphs either". Overall, a very important work in Modern Persian poetry.
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