Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Oh humans! A Poem by Nimā Yushij


A Poem by Nimā Yushij (1896-1960). He is considered as the father of modern Persian poetry.

This the story of millions, who are batteling against injustice as well as those, who are batteling for their existence

Oh humans!

Who are sitting on the seashore, joyful and laughing,
someone is drowning in the water,
someone is unceasingly floundering
in this furious, darksome and heavy blue deep that you know.
By the time that you are inebriated
by the imagination of overcoming ​​the enemy,
by the time that you think in vain
that you have given aid to a powerless
to create a better, strong person,
by the time that you tighten your belts,
over your waists.
what more condition of life should I mention?
Someone is losing life in the water for nothing.
Oh humans,
who are having pleasant time on the shore,
bread on your plate, clothes on your body,
someone is calling you out of the water.

He beats the heavy waves with his tired hands,
opens his mouth with horrified, wide opened eyes,
he has seen your shadows from afar,
he gulps down the water out of the deep blue,
his fear grows from moment to moment,
he raises out of the water
once the head, once the foot.
Oh humans!
he watches this aged world from the distance
he screams and hopes for help.
Oh humans!
who are looking from the steady shore,
the waves hit the quiet shore,
spread and collapse on the shore like a drunkard into his bed,
the roaring water recedes,
and this call comes again from afar
Oh humans!
And the howling gale
getting more and more heart-rending,
and his voice vanishes into thin air.
From the near and distant waters
a distant call could be heard again:
Oh humans!


a music clip with this lyric:

Translated by Farah T.


Monday, September 14, 2015

Labor activist, Shahrokh Zamani died in Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj

Labor activist, Shahrokh Zamani died in Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj. According to the reports from prison, Shahrokh was found on September 13th, 5 pm by his fellow prisoners with a mouth full of blood and visible bruises on the face and head in his bed; they took him immediately to the prison sick ward, but the doctor said that he died of a heart attack.


 Afshin Osanloo also died of a so-called ”heart attack" in June 2013

Shahrokh Zamani was a house painter and member of the Committee to Pursue the Establishment of Workers Organizations, a group campaigning for the establishment of independent trade unions in Iran. He was last arrested in June 2011 and sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment.

related:


Afshin Osanloo died in prison