May Its Memory Be Eternal!
May its memory be eternal!
When oranges had seeds
We spit them up straight in the air, and
they landed straight down on our heads
We laughed from the bottom of our hearts
No worries of tomorrows
Who’d know of tired hearts!
May its memory be eternal!
Water wasn’t yet in plastic bottles,
flowed out of a hose in the corner of the yard
Sometimes it was cold, but more often it was hot,
Our clay pitcher was so olden,
had a handle on its neck,
we set it on the dinner’s table-linen
May its memory be eternal!
Tomato and cucumber season was solely in summers
Who’d know of Mexico and Chile!
Fruits and veggies came only from produce markets
Who’d know of food, packaged and frozen!
Slowly cooked on top of the oven,
my mother’s tasty stew in the kitchen
May its memory be eternal!
When friendship and kindness came from the bottom of the heart
Hand in hand, we came home from school, all and all
We crushed dry leaves, wherever under the trees they had fallen
In the alleys, we picked plums and sloes from trees in the garden
Who was ever worried about checks and promissory notes!
When did we ever worry about money and golds!
Original poem in Farsi by Faramarz
Poem translation by MPD © 2013
یادش بخیر
یادش بخیر وقتی که پرتقال‌ها هسته داشت
تف میکردیم هسته‌ها رو تو هوا
صاف میخوردن تو سرمون
میخندیدیم از ته قلب
بیخیال از فردا
کی خبر از دل خسته داشت
یادش بخیر وقتی که آب تو بطری پلاستیکی نبود
از توی شلنگِ گوشه حیاط در میومد
گاهی سرد بود و بیشتر گرم
کوزهِ سفالیمون هم قدیمی بود
میگذاشتیمش سرِ سفرهِ شام
ولی تو گردنش یک دسته داشت
یادش بخیر وقتی که فصلِ گوجه و خیار فقط تابستون بود
کی میدونست مکزیک و شیلی کجاست
میوه و سبزی فقط از سبزه میدون میومد
کی خبر از غذای یخزدهِ تو بسته داشت
خورشتِ خوبِ مادرم تو آشپز‌خونه
روی اجاق جوشش آهسته داشت
یادش بخیر وقتی که دوستی و محبت از ته دل بود
با هم از مدرسه دست بدست میومدیم خونه
برگهای خشک زیرِ درخت‌ها رو له میکردیم
آلو و گوجه میکندیم از درختِ باغِ سرِ کوچه
کجا نگرانِ پول بودیم
کی غم و غصهِ چک و سفته داشت
شعر از فرامرز
http://204.232.242.254/main/blog/faramarz-15?page=1
Thank you, MPD, for your translation. I did not know that Faramarz is a poet also! I read a lot of his stories in English.
I have not seen him here, I hope he will have the chance of reading your great translation!