Welcome to Litsy!

A beautiful collection of strange, somber poems from this famous Iranian poet. I love translations because it lets you tap into a culture vastly different from your own. It‘s like traveling in that sense: a significant reminder of how large and varied the world is.

There is a certain brilliance to the understanding that the ideas will come off skewed. And just like traveling, you‘re not getting the full scope. It‘s fun though.

I am you, you
and the one who loves
and the one who within herself
suddenly discovers a vague bonding
to a thousand things loaded with unknown
strangeness
and I am all the fierce lust of the earth
that pulls all waters into itself
to make all fields fertile

I don't exactly remember where I first encountered Farrokhzad's work. I've been an admirer for many years now & have read several previous translations (most notable is Wolpé's versions collected in Sin). Let Us Believe etc feels like the first English version of Farrokhzad to provide a clear picture of her brilliance, rather than the flashes that prior versions offered. It is almost impossible to state how influential Farrokhzad was for Iran👇

I just read the first half of this & it is very, very, very good. The best poetry collection I've read this year.