Friday, December 18, 2009

The Magic Flute




The reporter asks the the blind "street performer" in Isfahan: What are you waiting for?
-Waiting? Waiting for What? I am not waiting for anything! Az di ke gozasht hich az oo yaad makon (When it's yesterday, don't recall it ...), Wating for what? Just live your life!


This is the Iran that will not crush under sanctions; that will not disappear under bombs.
This is the Iran that will not succumb to fascists; that will not become a country of consuming cadavers.
This is the Iran that grandmother left for us.
This is the Iran that we will leave for our grandchildren.
This is the country of wind, water, fire and dust.
This is where people dance to Rumi and sing with Khayam; where they stare into stars with Biruni and into earth with Avecinna; where they settle with Hafiz and travel with Sa'di; where they dive into the past with Ferdowsi and fly onto the future with Attar.

Last time I was in Isfahan, I was with my British boss ... walking under the cloudy December sky. Music played afar. Night was mild. A group of young boys were dancing in one of the vaults of the bridge (33 Pol). We went to Iran to prove Bush wrong that Iran was the country of fanatics that deserved bombing and sanctions. He stopped; sighed, stared into zayandeh rud and said: "I will go back; smack them all colleagues of mine and tell them get off of their asses, get their visas and come here to see it for themselves ... Iran defies all imagination."

It does ...

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

naj,

I'm moved to tears. I find this post one of your best pieces. The visual is fantastic, the music and lyrics are wonderful AND your post, the text that you wrote is a beautiful poem. Can not be shown better than this. Can not be heard better than this. Can not be said better than this.

Are you a political blogger, a scientific researcher, an artist, a writer or a poet? What a mystery, what an enigma.


Peace,
V >>>

123 said...

Loved it Naj. Beautiful music and 33 pol... maah bood. I think he says az del ke gozasht na az di, if I am not mistaken.

Naj said...

Thanks anonymous;

hezar Jan, this is 99% di from khayam I think it meanz dirouz don't have a Persian dictionary to chech for sure working from memory
you mean the old man says del(heart)?

Parvati said...

Ahhhhh.....truly beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Dear Naj,

از دی که گذشت هیچ از او یاد مکن....فردا که نیامده است فریاد مکن-
بر آمده و نامده بنیاد مکن....حالی خوش باش و عمر بر باد مکن -

There is not much one can add to anonymous' comment ....and yet I need to say .... your post is a beautiful narration to this magic video , full of innocence and LOVE .....There is no anger... as though righteous has prevailed . You filled my heart with awe and I don't even want to contain my cleansing tears.

Peace Keeper,

Anonymous said...

از دی که گذشت هیچ از او یاد مکن....فردا که نیامده است فریاد مکن-
بر آمده و نامده بنیاد مکن....حالی خوش باش و عمر بر باد مکن -

Dear Naj,

There is not much one can add to Anonymous' comment ....but I need to say ......your post is a beautiful narration to this magic video , full of innocence and "LOVE".....there is no anger ..... as though the righteous has prevailed. You filled my heart with "awe" and I don't even want to contain my cleasing tears.

Peace keeper,

Anonymous said...

Very beautiful. We are all with the iranian people in their struggle to break free from their dictators.

I have small problem with your poem, you left out Fedowsi.

Naj said...

Anonymous,

Yes I know Ferdowsi was left out; I have problem with that myself :) Attar was left out too ... I was unfair to Khorasan!

I didn't intend it to be a poem; stream of consciousness only ... that's the kind of mood I am in these days ...

Anonymous said...

That's a street sound I haven't heard in many, many years.

Iran in winter was my favorite.

-Pirouz

Anonymous said...

Yes, you left out Attar too!. I understand; it will be impossible to pay homage to all the Persian giants in one post. You could probably write a post avery single day for the rest of your life and you still wont cover all of them.

Naj said...

can you please help by writing a comment with their names (and maybe a hyperlink)? I'd appreciate it.

Anonymous said...

This is where people discover their glorious past with Fedowsi and take a spiritual journey with Attar

[I am not a poet like you, I am just following your style]

Naj said...

Thanks; now how about the other 365 Persian celebs?

Anonymous said...

How beautiful and how sweet. When asked what he hopes the future will bring, the old man thinks of the past, then chides himself for reminiscing... but it is indeed memory which shores up our tired spirits.