Solace of the Eyes

Sahba Motallebi is determined to reintroduce the lost rhythms of Persian music, which she rediscovered among the Turkish rhythms.

(video by SahbaTV)

A poem of love, built on an admirable ambiguity: Love of God is Eros, as true love cannot be otherwise.

This poem was created by Fátimih Baraghání, a great poetess and theologian of the XIXth century, who was killed for her religious convictions, after years of imprisonment. She is known as طاهره‎ (Táhirih - The Pure One). She is also known as قرة العين‎ (Qurratu'l-`Ayn - Consolation of the Eyes).

If I met you face to face, I
would retrace - erase!
my heartbreak,
pain by pain,
ache by ache,
word by word,
point by point.

De-ar fi sa ne-ntalnim, fatza catre fatza.
mi-as face inima din nou bucurie
sufletul frant uitarii l-as da!
durere dupa durere,
rana dupa rana,
cuvant dupa cuvant,
deznadejde dupa deznadejde.

In search of you-
justify your face!- I
roam through the streets
lost in disgrace,
house to house,
lane to lane,
place to place,
door to door.

In cautarea ta -
arata-ti fatza!-
ratacesc pe drumuri
pierdut in rusine,
casa dupa casa,
drum dupa drum,
loc dupa loc,
poarta dupa poarta.

My heart hopeless-broken,
crushed!- I heard it pound,
till blood gushed from me,
fountain by fountain,
stream by stream,
river by river,
sea by sea.

Inima mea, fara nadejde - desirata,
zdrobita! - Am auzit-o faramitandu-se
pana ce sangele a tasnit din mine,
izvor dupa izvor,
suvoi dupa suvoi,
rau dupa rau,
ocean dupa ocean.

The garden of your lips -
your cheeks! -
your perfumed hair,
I wander there,
bloom to bloom,
rose to rose,
petal to petal,
scent to scent.

Gradina buzelor tale -
obrajii tai! -
parul tau parfumat,
ratacesc pe acolo,
floare dupa floare,
roza dupa roza,
petala dupa petala,
mireasma dupa mireasma.

Your eyebrow - your eye! -
and the mole'n your face,
somehow they tie me,
trait to trait,
kindness to kindness,
passion to passion,
love to love.

Sprancenele tale - ochii tai! -
si alunita de pe obraz,
de parca m-ar inlantui,
trasatura dupa trasatura,
dragalasenie dupa dragalasenie,
patima dupa patima,
dragoste dupa dragoste.

While I grieve,
with love - your love! - I
will reweave the
fabric of my soul,
stitch by stitch,
thread by thread,
warp by warp,
woof by woof.

Si-n timp ce plang
din dragoste - din dragoste de tine!
imi voi tese din nou
borangicul sufletului,
bucata dupa bucata,
fir dupa fir,
urzeala dupa urzeala,
ultima parte dupa ultima parte.

Last I - Tahirih -
searched my heart, I
looked line by line,
What did I find?
You and you,
you and you, you and you.

Iar ca sa-nchei eu - Tahirih, cea pura -
mi-am cercetat inima,
am citit-o, cuvant dupa cuvant,
si n-am gasit nimic decat pe tine,
pe tine dupa tine,
pe tine dupa tine, pe tine dupa tine.

(Iranian Film and Poetry)