Homily of Perdition[1]
By Nader Naderpour, Paris, February 1984.
Translated by Farhad Mafie January 1989
From the collection Blood and Ashes (Khoun va Khākestar)
For
Imam Ommat (Ayatollah
Khomeini, “The People’s Imam”)
gave
you the heritage of my land,
under
the mirthful sun of that land
your
hand planted nothing but the seed of inhumanity.
It
is time to inform you what you have planted.
Till
the moment that your death message arrives
O,
despicable man!
Till
the moment that your wicked blood flows
on
the cold cobblestone,
Let
me compose an anthem to your annihilation.
In
my eyes you are a black wind that suddenly
has
stolen several thousand young leaves.
After
the sun’s death your dark spirit closed
several
thousand thrilled eyes
to
the morning and opened them to the night.
The
starless nights that mothers’ eyes mourned tears
running
down their cheeks for their children.
In
your cold eyes, O, you iniquitous man!
No
one has seen compassion nor read repentance.
The
white-haired elderly that on the tombstone slab
have
written the names of their loved ones
are
crying blood in your days,
harvesting
what they have never planted.
Although
you removed the lion’s image and the face of the sun
from
the three-colored flag of champions,
their
memories are still the source of our enthusiasm.
And
although the name of that eloquent Shahnameh
writer[2]
was
stolen from the books and tomes,
only
his holy voice exists in our thoughts.
Wait
till the groans of your prisoners
are
too loud to fit in their chests,
let
the people’s tears flood and their blood run
till
red roses of revenge grow from the earth.
Wait
till the morning of revenge
when
you get up from your morning sleep
and
young and old, small and big, scream
O,
black-hearted devil!
Your
death will be celebrated by all men and women,
your
name will be removed from the journey of time …
[1] Translator: Naderpour composed this poem in 1984, five years after the revolution, while he was living in exile in Paris and Khomeini was still alive.
[2] Translator: “Shahnameh writer” refers to Ferdowsi , who wrote Book of Kings (Shahnameh).
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© 2003 by Farhad Mafie. All
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