Project Description
Mehrangiz Rassapour
Mehrangiz Rassapour (M. Pegah) was born in south east of Iran ( Khoram-abad).
She started writing poetry when she was nine and had her first GHAZAL, published in a prestigious literary magazine when she was thirteen and married at the age of Eighteen.
She received her B.A. in Literature before coming to live in England in 1983.
Her first book of poetry entitled “Jaragheh Zood Mimirad” (SPARK DIES AT ONCE) published in Iran in 1992. This was followed by her second collection “. . . AND THEN THE SUN” ( . . . Va Sepass Aftaab) published in England.
Her third book “BEYOND The WINGS Of The BIRD” (Parandeh Digar,Nah) published in Germany, won great acclaim for her unique voice.
Her works including her two famous poems “STONING” and “LASH” has been published in several languages, such as English, German, Norwegian and various others.
Since living in London, she has been invited to give lectures and recitals of her works, both in England and overseas.
In 1999 she founded “Today’s Review” a forum for classical and modern Persian Literature inviting scholars from everywhere to contribute.
At present she is the chief editor of “VAJEH” (Word ) a very well know magazine for literature and Culture that she established in 2002 which can be seen in this address: www.vajehmagazine.com
Her two new books are in the process of publication.
LASH
Translated from the Persian by Robert Chandler
Confess… lash!
Confess… lash!
Where is the stolen morning?
In the continent of blood!
Trying to be provocative?… lash!
In what state were you arrested?
I was stamping morning’s passport
Smuggling contraband?… lash!
Where is your husband!
He’s lost in his dark wedding-suit.
Wanting to ban marriage?… lash!
Where did you steal your fever?
Eh… Eh… From the wounds of day.
Coughing an ancient cough!… lash!
Display your dreams!
They’ve escaped.
Seize them!
They’ve sought asylum
Where?
In the navel of a star.
Which star?
The star of a fortunate tomorrow.
Trying to instil hope?… lash!
Your dreams have been seen.
Your thought clamour has been heard.
What do you have to say?
My fever… must have betrayed me.
Still don’t surrender?… lash!
Say out loud what you’re murmuring!
I can see you clearly in the darkness.
We’ll take out your eyes… lash!
I can see with my skin.
We’ll peel off your skin… lash!
I’ll see with my bones.
We’ll burn your bones… lash!
I’ll see with my ashes.
We’ll cast your ashes to the winds… lash!
You will multiply my eyes.
The sky will be full of my eyes
What will you do with the new buds?
With the birds?
With the water?
With yourself?
Put the air in quarantine?
Trying to be clever?… Lash!
Where have you hidden your destiny?
In what follows on from day.
Needling night?… Lash!
Where have you stored the power of your hate?
Yesterday I sent it off to my child.
Your child? Ha-ha. Ha-ha.
We snuffed out his life… the day before yesterday!
…?! …?! …?!
May ligh…
May light… shine…
May light shine… on his place.
What was your father’s job?… lash!
He ran the length of his ill-fortune.
Where is your mother?… lash!
The moment I was arrested, she left.
Where to?… lash!
To visit the grave of her hopes.
Where are her hopes?… lash!
Under your lash!
Laughing at us?… lash… lash… lash
lash
la…sh
la
* * *
Ha-ha Ha-ha Ha-ha
Her spirit laughed
Opened the stolen morning
Put her head on the horizon
And rolled
onto the surface
of light!
STONING
Translated from the Persian by Robert Chandler
Throw stones
Throw stones
At lewd
debauched
criminal me!
Throw stones!
I was all in red
stone me
My clothes were the colour of my blood
stone me
Blood- red is rude
stone me
My long hair longed for air
stone me
But we can’t have air here
stone me
My footsteps called out
stone me
Sound excites lust
stone me
My eyes
fell upon
a man
stone me
Seeing is forbidden
stone me
Kissing is forbidden
stone me
Drinking is forbidden
stone me
Sobriety is forbidden
stone me
The past is forbidden
stone me
The future is forbidden
stone me
I’m a woman
stone me
I have eyes
stone me
I have a tongue
stone me
I have a brain
stone me
You who were not born of a mother!
stone me
stone…
stone…
stone…