Anzali Fishermen

by Maliheh Tirehgol
English Translation by Ali Kiafar

 

A canvas is hung on the wall of this hotel room

A wooden boat on the edge of water

I do not know if the painter has seen the water first or the boat

I do know that the artist has first drawn the water, then the boat

And has inscribed “Khazar” on the boat with a red paint brush

But why “Khazar?”

Pronunciation of “kh” is difficult in English

The “c” in caviar is, of course, not difficult for these people

But why not Caspian be the name of this boat

In this corner of America’s Midwest?


The artist who was not by the canvas chimed in:

Well, how they read I do not know,

But how to write Anzali fisherman I do.

Alas not me,

It’s his blood that has written “Khazar” on this boat

Pronunciation of "kh” is not the question here.

The question is that

The Caspian

Has lost the way to Anzali fishermen.


Evansville, Indiana
November 3, 2008


Notes:
1-  Anzali is the name of a major city by the Caspian Sea, known for commercial fishing

2-  Khazar is the Persian name for the Caspian Sea

3- The Persian word for caviar in khaviar, which starts with the same letter as Khazar. As such pronouncing it for non- Persian speaking people is as difficult as Khazar.

4- While Ms. Tirehgol has used in her poem a gender-neutral third person pronoun in Persian, I have employed the words painter and artist in my translation in lieu of “he” or “she” to avoid reference to any particular gender.

Ali Kiafar

 

ماهیگیران انزلی

ملیحه تیره گل

 

پرده­ ای بر دیوارِ این hotel room آویزان است
قایقی چوبی بر کناره­ ی آبی.
نمی­دانم اول آب را دیده یا قایق را.
می­دانم اول آب را کشیده بعد قایق را.
روی قایق با قلم­ موی قرمز نوشته خزر.
حالا چرا خزر؟
تلفظ «خ» به انگلیسی سخت است،
«خ»ی خاویار خزر- البته- برای این­ها سخت نیست،
اما چرا کاسپین نباشد اسم این قایق
در این گوشه از Midwest امریکا؟

نقاش که در کنار پرده نبود درآمد که
خب، خواندنِ­ این­ها را نمی­دانم،
نوشتنِ ماهیگیر انزلی را می­دانم.
اصلاً نه من،
که خون او روی این قایق نوشته خزر.
تلفظ «خ» این جا مسئله نیست.
مسئله این است
که کاسپین
راه ماهیگیران انزلی را گم می­کند.

 

اِوَنس ویل- ایندیانا
۳ نوامبر ۲۰۰۸