Massihsal - Ali Salami

Amirhossein Cheheltan: In One of These Summers

As long as he was in the house, he was depressed. When he went out on the street, it was time to worry. An endless anxiety that sometimes became so strong that he wished it would burst from his throat. Fariborz was just an excuse. He knew they were lying, but the illness had stayed […]

Thomas Pynchon’s Against the Day: A Deleuzian Reading of Pynchon’s Language

This study examines Thomas Pynchon’s mammoth novel Against the Day in terms of the minor practice of language as proposed by Deleuze and Guattari in their book Kafka: Toward a Minor Literature, which opens up new possibilities for literary criticism. With his idiosyncratic, intense and inventive practice of language, Pynchon shatters pre-existing notions of appropriate […]

From Wedlock To Deadlock: Madame Bovary’s Path Toward Self-Destruction

This study explores the unexplored thicket of nineteenth-century ideology to reassess the reasons for Emma Bovary’s suicide. The historical investigation in this article shows that the doctrine of separate spheres exerted a great influence on the lives of middle-class women. Moreover, the practice of this doctrine led to a reinforcement of the rigid dichotomy of […]

ECO CRITICAL READING OF SWEDENBORGIAN AND ARABIAN`S CONCEPTS IN BLAKE`S SELECTED POETRY

Blake has long been considered uncomfortable by environmental critics and many environmentalists have claimed that he cannot be considered an environmentally conscious poet. At the same time, there are other critics who seek to manipulate and ignore some of Blake`s negative portrayals of nature and to show that he can be included in contemporary critical […]

Gender Differences and Liberation of Female Subjects Discourse: The Case Study of Americanah

Summary. This study aims to examine the novel Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on the basis of Irigaray’s theory and rejection of gender difference. The entire novel is about the voice of women who are not heard. Their voices are mostly silenced by the society they live in because of their ethnicity and social status. […]

Rumi: Ghazal 436 [The Fragrance of Thy Wine]

“Who knocks at my gate?” he queried with a voice clear. “Naught but a meek slave,” I returned, “Thy serf, ready to adhere.” “And what dost thou seek herein?” he pressed. “O luminary of night,” quoth I, “To proffer thee my best.” “How long wilt thou tarry?” he posed in query. “Till thou beckon,” was […]

Rumi: Ghazal 1197 [The Gown of Concord]

If fire be thy companion, then enter and blaze thou bright! In the Eve of Parting, like a taper burn ’til morning light! Thou bear’st the weight of contraries, yet harmony thou dost weave; When they rend thine attire, stitch thou the Gown of Concord to achieve. In harmony, flesh and spirit find the soul’s […]

Rumi: Ghazal 1317 [Weeping Eye]

Behold, the mock sovereign strides with pomp and steed, Laden and ponderous, in his gilded garment indeed. He spurns death and asks: “Whence comes destiny?” Death answers from all sides: “Behold, here I be.” Death says: “O fool, where is thy power and sheen, Thy wealth, thy pride, thy anger, thy scorn so keen? Where […]

Hafiz: Ghazal 14 [Beds of Thorns]

To my dear heart I thus did say, “O queen of radiant mien, Extend, I pray, thy grace to me, a soul by fortune seen.” But she, in tones both clear and keen, did thus to me relay, “He wanders lost, who obeys heart’s whims, and from wisdom does stray.” “Stay thee a moment, […]

Hafiz: Ghazal 10 [Ecstasy of Soul]

Last eve, our spiritual Pir did voyage from sacred mosque to worldly tavern. Brethren, what course now shall we chart? What action shall we take? We, the acolytes, find our Pir straying to the tavern; how then shall we turn our gaze towards the sacred direction in prayer? Let us then claim sanctuary amidst the […]

Hafiz: Ghazal 8 [Saki, Arise]

Saki, arise… fill the goblet, present it. Bury the sorrows of the world beneath the earth! Hand me the wine cup so I might cast off this sky-colored cloak upon me. To the wise, drunkenness may bear ill repute, but we yearn not for fame or renown. Serve the wine, how long shall this wind […]

Hafiz: Ghazal 3 [Speak Now of Music]

Should Shiraz’s fair, our humble love requite, And in her grace, our hearts’ affections light, For but the mole upon her cheek so bright, We’d yield Samarkand and Bukhara outright. Saki, pour forth the remnants of our wine, For in heaven’s realm, these joys shan’t intertwine. No Ruknabad’s stream, nor Musalla’s shade, Will grace […]

Rumi: Ghazal 189 [Dance, Dance]

For sooth, the spring hath souls anew arrayed, Dance now, O branch, in tender verdure’s shade. As Joseph’s trek did sweeten Egypt’s glade, Begin thy dance, let joyfulness not fade. O king, by love’s own milk so sweetly reared, Advance, surge forth, as lion unfeared. Thou art thine father’s apple, so endeared, Join now […]

Rumi: Ghazal 2130 [Whirlwind of Madness]

O lovers, O ardent souls, the sight of His visage ensnares the mind, casting one into a whirlwind of madness and fervor. Characters transform, worlds crumble in disarray. Commence the quest for the Beloved, let the marketplace collapse; like the river’s current, surge forward headlong, turning the world upside down. In the realm of love, […]

Rumi: Ghazal 28 [The Color of God]

O sovereign of our flesh and spirit, O enchantress who lures forth our laughter and reveals our splendor, O who adorns our gaze with kohl, O radiance that illuminates our inner eye. O fair one, at thy splendor even the moon trembles when it beholds thy splendor; our life-blood is an offering for thy affection; […]

Hafiz: Ghazal 89 [The Darkest Kohl]

O Sovereign, forge a divine intercession that my heart’s companion may return unharmed, liberating me from this grievous plight. Impart unto me the dust from the trail of my beloved’s passage, that I might adorn my worldly eyes with it as if it were the darkest kohl. Mourn, for yon visage, those tresses, that countenance, […]

Hafiz: Ghazal 91 [O Fickle Healer of Hearts]

O Beloved, shrouded from our mortal gaze, I commend thy essence to the Almighty’s keeping. Thou hast kindled in my breast a flame so fierce, yet my affection knows no bounds, engulfing both my heart and very soul in its consuming fervor. I shall cling unto the hem of thy garment, unwavering, till the very […]

Hafiz: Ghazal 14 {Pillow of Stone]

To my beloved I said: “O empress of splendor, grant this unfortunate one your mercy,” to which she replied: “Abandoned and destitute, he who gives in to the whims of his heart goes astray.” “Stop for a moment, do not go away,” I asked her. “How can someone who has grown up in your house […]

Hafiz: Ghazal 10 [A Verse of Beauty]

Hafiz: Ghazal 6 [A Sip of Wine]

Who shall carry this petition to the court of the sovereign of all graces? Let not the monarch in his splendor neglect the humble, whose gratitude elevates the throne. I mourn and implore my Creator to overcome the diabolical rival, hoping for heavenly favor, that the shooting star may help. My beloved, when your sable […]

Hafiz: Ghazal 4 [Moon-faced Beauties]

O gentle breath of dawn, whisper in the ear of the graceful hind: It is you who have led us into the wilderness and into the open country to wander! Oh, old craftsman of delights, why do you not seek the lips sweetened by sugary food? A wonder, indeed! O blossom, does vanity born of […]

Forough Farrokhzad: Only the Voice Remains [Tanha Sedast I Mimanad]

Why should I stop, why When birds have flown in search of the azure realm, The horizon is vertical, The horizon is vertical and movement is effervescent, And within the limits of perception, The luminous planets revolve, The earth repeats itself aloft, And air shafts Become tunnels of connection, And the day is a vastness […]

Hafiz’s Ghazal 5: The Love of Fortune

Hafiz’s Ghazal 5: The Love of Fortune The heart slips away from me, O guardians of souls, for the love of God, lend your helping hand. Alas, the hidden ailment shall reveal itself! Our ship is stranded, motionless. O favorable wind, arise! Blow! Perhaps we shall glimpse the familiar face of the Beloved once more. […]

Rumi’s Ghazal 1187: In the Realm of Love

Rumi’s Ghazal 1187: In the Realm of Love Your love arrived later yet surpasses those before, exceeding previous passions; God decreed, “Those who come later will advance further.” Its seal is adorned with the verse, “Indeed, We have opened,” inscribed in golden script; its forms emerge from the azure sea of life. Adam returned once […]

Rumi: Ghazal 1374

Rumi: Ghazal 1374 O lovers, O lovers, hear me, I have the power to transmute mere earth into precious jewels. O minstrels, O minstrels, I shall fill your tambourines with gold. O those parched for life’s elixir, today I take the role of the cupbearer, turning this barren earth into a paradise, immersing it in […]

Rumi: Ghazal 1334

What a miracle: we are in the fall, and the sun has entered the sign of Aries. My blood begins to boil in the flow of my body like a camel going wild and setting my being in motion. Watch the play of these waves of blood! See how the plains fill with Majnuns! […]

Gholam-Hossein Sa’edi: The Garbage Dump [Ashghaldouni]

Gholam-Hossein Sa’edi: The Garbage Dump [Ashghaldouni] When we turned into the next alley, I was completely irritated and angry. My anger at my father had reached boiling point and I was itching to provoke him, to make him angry and shake him to his foundations. My father was stubborn, unfair, never showed consideration for others […]

Sohrab Sepehri: The Death of Color [Marg-e Rang]

Sohrab Sepehri: The Death of Color [Marg-e Rang] A hue beside the night Has quietly and silently faded away. A black bird, coming from distant ways, Sings from the high roofs of the broken night. Intoxicated with conquest, This bird of sorrow has come. In this defeat of color, Has unraveled the thread of […]

Jalal Al-e Ahmad: The Life Which Fled [Zendegi ke Gorikht]

Jalal Al-e Ahmad: The Life Which Fled [Zendegi ke Gorikht] The sun’s heat tormented the mind and deserted the road along the riverbank. Coming and going was impeded, as if it had paused. On the other side of the river, amidst the palm groves, a mist seemed to dance — a mist interwoven with dust. […]

A Home in the Sky By Goli Taraghi

A Home in the Sky By Goli Taraghi It was a harsh summer, humid, without water, without electricity. War loomed, fear and darkness. Masoud D. was like a man who had plunged into the depths of a troubled dream, confused and angry. He clasped the hands of his wife and children and hurriedly made his […]

Sohrab Sepehri: Smoke Rise [Doud Barmikhizad]

Smoke Rise [Doud Barmikhizad] Smoke rises from the cave of my solitude. Who could fathom the ruins I carry? I speak to my inwardly burned self. When will my story reach its end? I have withdrawn my hand from the cloak of night To cling to the braids of dawn as my hope. From the […]

In the Tar of Night [Dar Qir-e Shab] by Sohrab Sepehri

In the Tar of Night [Dar Qir-e Shab] Long has this solitude been, Where silence paints the design of lips. A distant call beckons to me, But my feet are sunk in the tar of the night. There is no gap in this darkness: Walls and ceilings merge into one. Should a shadow glide across […]

The Sin (Gonah) by Forough Farrokhzad

The Sin (Gonah) I have sinned, a sin full of pleasure, In an embrace that was warm and fiery. I sinned in arms That were eager, vengeful and steely. In this dark and silent sanctuary, I gazed into his eyes full of secrets. My heart trembled restlessly in my breast At the longing of his […]

Throne of Solomon [Takht-e Abunasr] By Sadeq Hedayat

Throne of Solomon [Takht-e Abunasr] In the second year of the excavations at the Metropolitan Museum of Chicago near Shiraz, on the hill of “Takht-e Abunasr”,” scientific investigations were carried out. But apart from the cramped and acidic tombs, which often contained the bones of several people, nothing worth mentioning had been discovered except red […]

Madeline By Sadeq Hedayat

The other evening I was there, in the little parlor. Her mother and sister were also present, the mother in gray and the daughters in red, matching the crimson velvet of the sofas. I leaned my elbow on the piano and watched them. There was silence, except for the needle of the gramophone playing the […]

Three Drops of Blood [Se Qatreh Khun] By Sadeq Hedayat

Only yesterday they granted me solitude in my chamber. Could it be that, as the warden promised, I am now completely cured and will be released to freedom next week? Did I feel unwell? A year has passed, and during that time my pleas for pen and paper have gone unanswered, no matter how much […]

In a Coffin Made of Nothing, Carried on the Shoulders of No One By Amin Faghiri

He has built himself a room in the center of the world, surrounded by a wasteland of sand and wind. Perhaps now and then, when he goes up on the roof and shields his eyes with his hand, he sees the tree of his childhood and perhaps birds sit on this tree whose species he […]

Twenty Four Hours in Waking and Dreaming By Samad Behrangi

Dear Reader, I did not write the story of “Waking and Dreaming” to teach you a lesson. My intention is to make you more familiar with the children of my homeland and to encourage you to think about the cure for their ailments. If I were to endeavor to document everything that happened to me […]

Manifestation (Tajalli) By Sadeq Hedayat

As dusk began to weave its shadowy carpet across the sky, Hasmik pulled the brim of her hat down to cover her eyebrows and pulled the collar of her cloak closer, as if to ward off the encroaching cold. With swift, deliberate steps, she made her way home, her mind so ensnared by confused thoughts […]

The Couple By Ghazaleh Alizadeh

1 Dear listeners, think about the eternal truths that lie before us. Examine your conscience. The world stands on the edge of an unknown precipice. In these turbulent times, people’s actions are deviating from their past by engaging in endeavors far removed from the complexities of brain surgery. I assert this as one of the […]

Buried Alive [Zendeh Be Goor] By Sadeq Hedayat

My breath escapes me in ragged gaspings, tears run from my eyes, a bitter taste lingers in my mouth. My head spins, my heart clenches, my body lies exhausted, beaten, limp, weak on the bed. My arms, covered in marks from the injections, bear witness to my misery. The bed reeks of sweat and the […]

Seeking Redemption [Talab-e Amorzesh] By Sadeq Hedayat

Amidst the sweltering winds that whipped up the hot dust and sand and slapped the travelers in the face, the unyielding sun scorched and melted everything in its path. The monotonous clanging of iron and brass bells could be heard, synchronized with the camels’ steps. Their drooping necks and sullen, slack expressions signaled their dissatisfaction […]

The Vortex (Gerdab) By Sadeq Hedayat

Homayoun muttered to himself, his voice barely a whisper, “Can it really be? Is it conceivable? So young, she lies there in Shah Abdol Azim among thousands of other departed souls, nestled in the damp, cold earth… The shroud that envelops her. Never again will she experience the beginning of spring or the end of […]

The Indian Crow By Fereshteh Molavi

I wake up in Delhi to the cawing of a crow perched on a willow branch, to the dance of light on the shadow of a dream, to the scent of a tropical morning. Spring. The awakening of spring. The elation of travel. I pull aside the cotton curtain, open the window and the quiet […]

Who Should I Greet Now? By Simin Daneshvar

Who should I greet now? The lady principal has left us, Haj Ismail has disappeared without a trace and my precious daughter has become the prey of wolves in the wilderness… The cat has breathed its last, the tongs fell on the spider and sealed its fate. And now the snow envelops everything in its […]

The Behind-the-Curtain Doll By Sadeq Hedayat [Arusak Posht-e Pardeh]

The summer vacation had begun. In the corridor of the boys’ grammar school in Le Havre, the boarders left the school whistling and cheering with their suitcases in their hands. Only Mehrdad was standing still, holding his hat like a merchant whose ship had sunk, looking despairingly at his suitcase. The principal with his bald […]

The Claws By Sadeq Hedayat

When Seyyed Ahmad entered the house, he cast a suspicious glance across the courtyard, then knocked with his stick on the brown door of the room above the cistern and called softly: “Robabeh… Robabeh…!” The door opened and a pale, frightened girl came out: “Brother, is that you? Come up here.” She took her brother’s […]

The Last Day By Bahram Beyzai

As the 48-year-old Iranian writer Sadeq Hedayat makes his way to his apartment in the 18th arrondissement at 37 Rue Championnet bis on a gloomy afternoon in Paris, he meets two men who are waiting for him. They immediately inquire whether he has returned from the police station and whether he has received the necessary […]

The Chicken Coop By Mohammad Mohammadali

The phone rang. It was Kashefi. “What’s the status of Mr. Vali’s retirement?” “It’s likely to be finalized today or tomorrow.” “I’ve been considering something for him.” “Thank you for remembering our request, sir!” “Just a question, is he fit for strenuous work?” “Don’t be deceived by his bulky and flabby appearance; he single-handedly oversees […]

Contemplations on Death By Sadeq Hedayat

What a terrifying and awe-inspiring word that is! Hearing it evokes heart-rending emotions: it robs the lips of laughter, the hearts of joy, brings darkness and depression and causes a thousand kinds of disturbing thoughts to pass before our eyes. Life is inseparable from death. Without life there would be no death, and without death […]