Zhila Husseini
Born in Saqgiz, Iranian Kurdistan, in 1964, she published only one poetry collection titled “The growth of love,” in 1985. She died in a car accident on September 26, 1996. Another collection of poems, short stories and other writings was published posthumously in 1998 under the title, “The castle of secrets.”
DEATH OF THE SUN
When a flower falls
and the nightingale weeps,
the sun dies at that time
and the world wears a black dress.
The rivers die,
the heart of the earth
cracks in many places,
and its lips dry up.
Haven’t you seen how it pours soil on its own head?
When a lover dies, a sad lover weeps
and puts a bunch of flowers
on the grave of his beloved.
But, when my heart died, nobody knew,
nobody shed a single tear
during its funeral.
They led me by the hand,
and made my heartless body dance.
ADVICE
When you take a pretty girl
to your room as your bride,
I beg you, be aware
lest she smells the fragrance of my fingers
on the vases and window-frames.
If she told you that she smells a fallen flower,
say: “Sweetheart! Be sure, there isn’t
a flower in this world but you.”
Don’t mention my name
lest you drive away happiness from your room.
If it happened that once you saw a woman
who covers her form with grief,
who has sad eyes and dry lips,
and you recognized me in her,
don’t be startled,
don’t say that you keep a picture of her
in your album, as a memento.
Translated by Farhad Shakely
COPYRIGHT 2005 Kurdish Library
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group