Forough Farrokhzad, 'هدیه'/'Gift'

[noldo]

I apologise in advance for the transliteration.

هدیه

من از نهایت شب حرف می زنم
من از نهایت تاریکی
و از نهایت شب حرف می زنم

اگر به خانه من آمدی
برای من ای مهربان چراغ بیار
و یک دریچه که از آن
به ازدحام کوچه ی خوشبخت بنگرم

hediyeh

man az nahāyat e shab harf mi zanam
man az nahāyat e tariki
va az nahāyar e shab harf mi zanam

agar beh khāneh ye man āmadi
barā ye man ei mehrbān cherāgh biyār
va yek dari cheh keh az ān
beh ezdehām kūcheh ye khosh bakht bengaram

I speak out of the deep of night.
Out of the deep of darkness,
and out of the deep of night I speak.

If you come to my house, friend:
bring me a lamp¹, and a window through which I can look
at the crowd in the happy alley.

- trans. Ahmad Karimi Hakkak

1. I'm not messing with someone else's translation, but why leave out مهربان? I like that being there!

Comments

[snowynight]

I love this. Thanks for sharing.

[kaberett]

um. words. <3

[yasaman]

This Farrokhzad poem is one of my favorites, and so evocative of wanting a little glimpse out of the haze of depression.

As to leaving out مهربان , it's there still, just moved around! It's the "friend" in the line "If you come to my house, friend." I personally would have translated it as kind friend to get the full meaning across, but eh.

[glass_icarus]

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