In the Meadow (Dar Golestaneh)
Poem: Sohrab Sepehri
Translation: Ahreeman X
Sohrab Sepehri
February 16, 2021

Wild Red Corn Poppy Flowers (Persian Shaqayeq) Meadow
In the Meadow (Dar Golestaneh) Persian Poem
Sohrab Sepehri Persian Poetry

Introduction

This poem is one of the most beautiful, mysterious, metaphoric, symbolic and deep poems of Sohrab Sepehri, full of twists and turns! It is a short poem, yet very deep and metaphoric; therefore, hard to translate. To translate Persian poetry, wither classical or modern, you need to be fluent in English, be fluent in Persian, be masterful with terminology, change the poem in a way to make sense in English and indeed you must be a poet yourself, so the results become fabulous. To translate poems of a poet in the magnitude of Sohrab Sepehri, whose poetry is mysteriously full of ups and downs, twists and turns and extremely metaphoric, symbolic and incognito meaning behind the meanings, then you must really know what you are doing or else, the poem in English either will not make sense or the meaning comes out totally different than what it supposed to be!

I see many translations of Sohrab Sepehri poems or poems of other Persian greats being translated on the net. I see these translations vary from amateur, mediocre or flat out baseless! Some are so off that the meanings even changed! These translators are neither poets, nor translators, or even fluent in both languages. To speak Persian and English is one thing but to take on the challenge of translating Sohrab Sepehri’s poems are in a completely different level! I don’t want to be rude but I often see horrific translations of Persian poetry around the net that if the reader reads them, they assume that the poet must be horrible! The reality is that often the translations are terrible and the translators need to leave the Persian poetry alone!

Wild Red Corn Poppy Flowers of the Meadow
In the Meadow (Dar Golestaneh) Persian Poem
Sohrab Sepehri Persian Poetry

I am sure that a sad translator can translate Edgar Allan Poe to Persian to the point that a new reader would assume that Poe is a tragic poet!  So, it is best for so many so-called translators out there to leave the Persian poetry alone! The funny thing is that many of these so-called translators wait till I translate a poem and then they would copy-paste my translations on to their sites and sign their names under it! Persian thieves are famous for stealing my graphic designs, art works, articles, books and poem translations. Persian thieves are world famous!

This poem is extremely deep, mesmerizing and metaphoric; therefore, I had to translate it myself. I somewhat changed terms to make sense in English, and as a poet, I created a poem which would bring out the true meaning of this masterpiece. This is a simple poem but similar to Sepehri’s other works, the verses say one thing but they mean a different thing. That’s Sepehri’s style, undercover, incognito and metaphoric. He particularly describes various elements and objects with various natural emotions and essence. Sohrab Sepehri’s work is like a locked box full of precious metals which you must primarily unlock and then dig deep to discover the true value of the valuables inside!

Wild Red Corn Poppy Flowers (Persian Shaqayeq)
In the Meadow (Dar Golestaneh) Persian Poem
Sohrab Sepehri Persian Poetry

Translating this poem takes time but of course, nothing like translating an epic lengthy poem such as “Footsteps of Water” which was a challenge, yet still it took good time to capture the true concept of the poem and psyche of the poet.

Footsteps of Water

Inspiration is the most important element. Without it, poetry is lame. Inspiration must occur for the poetry to be written. I do the same with my own poems. Inspiration does not come around often but when it comes, you must take full advantage of it and pay attention to the details. You must right away write it down and create a saga out of it! Translation is not as difficult as to write my own poetry; however, it is challenging to write accurate translation which transfers the mindset of the poet to the reader. In poetry, Inspiration is everything!

The Bird and the Flower Sohrab Sepehri Painting
The Black Bird (Lack of Color) Stares at the Flower (Full of Color)

At the first glance it looks simple forward but there is nothing simple about this poem. This poem has meanings inside the meanings! For serious poetry lovers, read it once, read it again, put it on the paper, dissect it, do a surgery on it, analyze it and think about it. Think deep.

Here are the final results for you to enjoy:

Sohrab Sepehri Modern Persian Poetry Master and Painter

Dar Golestaneh
Poem: Sohrab Sepehri

In the Meadow
Translation: Ahreeman X

What grand plains!
What high mountains!
What fresh scent of grass came from the meadow!
I was searching for something in this village:
Perhaps for a nap,
Perhaps for a light, a drop of sand or a smile.

Behind the poplar trees,
There was an innocent carelessness, which was calling me.

I stopped at a plain, the wind was blowing, and I listened:
Who was it which spoke to me?
A lizard slipped,
I started walking.
I passed a hayfield on the way,
And then a cucumber garden, a bed of colorful flower bushes,
And then the oblivion of earth.

Took off my shoes and sat down, dipped my feet in the water stream:
How green am I today!
And how alert is my body!
Hopefully a grief will not arrive from behind the mountain,
Who’s hiding behind the trees?
No one, it’s only a cow grazing the field.
It’s Summer’s noon.
The Shadows know, what a hot summer it is.

Spotless shadows,
A bright and pure corner,
Children of feelings! This is the place to play!

The life is not empty:
There is kindness here, so is apple and faith,
Yes,
Until wild red corn poppy flowers exist, we must live it up!

There’s something lurking in my heart,
Like a wood full of light, like a nap before the dawn.

And so restless am I that I want,
To run to the end of the plain, climb to the peak of the mountain.
In the distant horizon, there’s a sound which is calling me!

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