Contents
Acknowledgments
A Note to the Reader
Introduction
The State of Red
And Behold - Simin Behbahani
In This Dead-End Road - Ahmad Shamlou
Death Sermon - Nader Naderpour
The State of Red - Mandana Zandian
Parts of a Pedestrian in a Tunnel - Rasoul Younan
Of Sea Wayfarers - Esmail Khoi
Blood and Ash - Nader Naderpour
Camouflage Costumes - Granaz Moussavi
Untitled - Shams Langeroodi
A Mob! Tumult! - Peyman Vahabzadeh
My House Is Cloudy - Nima Yushij
Blood’s Voice - Mohsen Emadi
If Rising from Your Grave - Naanaam
Death from the Window - Naanaam
Life - Naanaam
The Sticky Dream of a Banished Butterfly (Excerpt) - Maryam Hooleh
Our Tears Are Sweet - Simin Behbahani
I See the Sea . . . - Shams Langeroodi
You Said, It’s Only Grapes - Simin Behbahani
Translating Silence
Me - Granaz Moussavi
The Poem - Mohsen Emadi
From “23” - Shams Langeroodi
The Shah and Hosseinzadeh - Reza Baraheni
Hosseinzadeh, the Head Executioner - Reza Baraheni
Ass Poem - Reza Baraheni
Depression - Yadollah Royai
Petition - Nader Naderpour
A List of Names - Partow Nooriala
Nargess - Partow Nooriala
Always the Same . . . - Ahmad Shamlou
I Did Not Expect - Ahmad Reza Ahmadi
Of Your Uncles - Ahmad Shamlou
99 Names of Exile
99 Names of Exile - Kaveh Bassiri
Ghazal 2 - Nader Naderpour
Spring Story - Nader Naderpour
Marco Polo - Ali Alizadeh
Red-Raft Woman - Esther Kamkar
Map of Ashen Roads - Sholeh Wolpé
Memorial Day - Kaveh Bassiri
Family of Scatterable Mines - Solmaz Sharif
Airport - Granaz Moussavi
Bleeding Green
From Green to Green - Sohrab Sepehri
The Green of Iran - Sholeh Wolpé
Song of a Forbidden Woman - Granaz Moussavi
At the Hamlet of Golestaneh - Sohrab Sepehri
Summer Is a Green Story - Esther Kamkar
A New Idea - Rumi
Feminist - Maryam Ala Amjadi
When a Color Stops Being a Color, Becomes Something Else Completely - Shideh Etaat
Rebellious God
Rebellious God - Forugh Farrokhzad
Lovers! - Tahirih
Return to the Wellspring - Jila Mossaed
Criticizing the Veil - Iraj Mirza
Collage Sixteen - Ziba Karbassi
Martyrs of Iran - Roger Sedarat
I Didn’t Ask for My Parents - Sholeh Wolpé
God’s Poem - Nader Naderpour
Fire; take a step . . . - Sepideh Jodeyri
Hezbollah - Sheema Kalbasi
A Homily on Leaving - Nader Naderpour
Religion - Amy Motlagh
Of Leaving - Sholeh Wolpé
Stepping through Time
The Art of Stepping through Time - H. E. Sayeh
In Praise of Big Noses - Persis Karim
Untitled - Peyman Vahabzadeh
Those Who Stood Up for Tolerance - Hafez
Rhyme by Rhyme - Tahirih
Stay Light on Your Feet - Rumi
Collage Eleven - Ziba Karbassi
Collage Fourteen - Ziba Karbassi
The Plumber’s Poem - Zara Houshmand
My Hands Tremble Yet Again—A Soliloquy - Sheida Mohammadi
Hot Tea, a Warm Muffin - Shideh Etaat
Mulberries and Chador - Farzaneh Milani
Return from My Body’s Black-and-Blue - Sheida Mohammadi
Caravan - H. E. Sayeh
Connection - Forugh Farrokhzad
I Won’t Quit Loving - Hafez
Morning Star - Ziba Karbassi
Twittering - Pegah Ahmadi
Someone like No One - Forugh Farrokhzad
Water - Sohrab Sepehri
About the Poets and Translators