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Written by:
Mehdi Akhavan Saless
Translated by
Iraj Bashiri
Vision is limited,
The road's dark and slick.
Your extended friendly hand is refused,
Not because they are confused;
They rather keep their hands where they are warmed.
It is frightfully cold. Do not be alarmed.
My manly Messiah,
Uncompromising man of faith!
Winter is cowardly and cold,
You keep the words warm,
Sustain that stance bold.
Mehdi Akhavan Saless Winter
Accept my greetings.
Let me in.
Your nightly guest:
The pedestrian rock,
The curse of creation,
The uneven melody.
Let me in!
Let my sorrow in!
Be a good host,
To your ever-present guest,
Who shivers behind your door.
Have mercy on the poor.
There is no hail.
You may have heard a tale,
There exists no death,
Only chattering teeth and a short breath.
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Mehdi Akhavan Saless Winter
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Mehdi Akhavan Saless Winter
Iraj Bashiri
Mehdi Akhavan Saless was born in 1928 in the city of Meshed, in northeastern
Iran. There he grew up, received his early education, and graduated from the
Meshed Technical Institute with a degree in metallurgy. After holding a couple
of temporary jobs in his hometown, in 1948, he moved to Tehran and was
employed as a teacher. He also became involved in Iranian politics as early as
1951 As a result of this latter he, like many prominent artists of his time, was
thrown into prison (late 1960's). Some of his poems express his sentiments,
which had many sympathizers at the time, regarding the regime's incarceration
of the best flowers of Iranian society.
On the whole, however, barring his literary activities, Akhavan Saless's career
was tied to the regime's radio and television. Indeed, writing for the regime,
many of his admirers thought, belittled the high stance that he had taken
socially and philosophically. Saless, however, like Sadeq Hedayat before him,
did not have many options open to him to earn a living.
Although Akhavan Saless's poetic career began as early as 1942, he did not
acquire the degree of recognition necessary for breaking into the literary circles
of his time until the publication of his third volume of poetry in 1957. Called
"Zemestan" (Winter), this volume boosted Saless's career and placed him
among the top runners for the mantle of Nima Yushij. In fact, for many circles,
Nader Naderpur and Mehdi Akhavan Saless were equally recognized as worthy
successors of the Bard of Mazandaran. The fact that like Nima they both had
started as traditionalists and had worked their way into new realms of New
Poetry through individual initiative itself deserved praise for singular effort.
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Mehdi Akhavan Saless Winter
Akhavan's forte, like the bard of Tus, is epic; more precisely, he chooses
themes of epical proportion and expresses them with the same zeal that
Firdowsi uses in the Shahname. The difference is that they write for two
diametrically different audiences. Akhavan Saless need not engage his poetry
in gavel by gavel battles of Iranian and Turanian chiefs. Rather, he can focus on
the theme and illustrating aspects of it with diverse, often far-fetched similes,
metaphors, and symbols.
Finally, Saless's language is complex. While translating his verse, one cannot
ignore the impact of the internal rhyme, the interconnection of images
seemingly disparate images, and the ubiquitous presence of the theme. Saless's
"Winter," translated here as a third attempt, I believe, is a good example for
understanding the depth of his conviction as well as the dexterity and the
finesse that distinguish his work compositions.
Mehdi Akhavan Sales died in 1991 in Tehran. His body was transported to
Meshed where it was buried in Tus by the mausoleum of Abu al-Qasim
Firdowsi.
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Mehdi Akhavan Saless Winter
"Zendegi Miguyad Amma Boyad Zist" (Life Dictates, but Life Must Go On),
1979
"Ata va Laqa-i Nima Yushij" (Nima Yushij's Bequest), 1983