TALKING POETRY

Translations by Omid Varzandeh from the Kurdish

 

Honour
- Barozh Akrayi, from Iraqi Kurdistan (mp3)

From among the dust and mist
Appears a grey truck.

Behind the garrison wall
Three women are waiting.

One of them is weeping.
The other two are smiling.

In the back of the truck
Two young men are swimming in their blood.

While inside the truck
A third man twirls his moustache.

- Translated by Omid Varzandeh from the Kurdish

 

The Unknown Soldier
- Abdulla Pashew (mp3)

Whenever an ambassador goes to any country,
he takes with him a wreath of flowers for The Unknown Soldier

And if someday an ambassador comes to my land
and asks me:
‘Where is the grave of The Unknown Soldeir?'
I will tell him:
‘Sir,
On the bank of any stream,
In any place in any mosque,
In the shade of any home,
In the nave of any church,
At the mouth of any cave,
In the mountains – on any rock,
In the gardens – on any treetop,
In my country,
Under any cloud in the sky…
Do not hesitate:
Bow your head
And place your wreath of flowers
anywhere.

- Translated by Omid Varzandeh from the Kurdish

The Gun
- Latif Halmat (1947--) Iraqi Kurdistan

Tell Mother Mary
not to wet the white church bells
with blood and tears
in memory
of her son.

Tell Mother mary so
if she is not tired of mourning.

Thousands of Jesus's
are crucified everyday.
Tell Mother Mary
not to cry anymore.

This is no time for tears.
This is the age of guns.

So ask her –
Why doesn't she buy a gun?

- Translated by Omid Varzandeh

Martyr
- Jalal Malashah (1950--) Irani Kurdistan

The white dove
was carrying a peace letter—
From: A Wounded Land
To: History

when the hunters came
and threw a net
of arrows.

Suddenly
the earth screamed.
The sky awoke.

The dove's blood
fell over the world,
drop
drop
drop

- Translated by Omid Varzandeh