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)

Playing the Setar

Setar means literally three strings; however, Two and a half centuries ago, a fourth string was added to the setar, which has 25 - 27 moveable frets. It originated in Persia before the spread of Islam.

سه ‌تار
(video by SahbaTV)

(Iranian Film and Poetry)

Playing the Tar

Painting from the Hasht-Behesht Palace in Isfahan Iran, 1669
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar_%28lute%29)

Tar is claimed to be the root of the names of the Iranian setar and the guitar as well as less as the dutar and the Indian sitar.

تار'
(video by arminkaedi)

(Iranian Film and Poetry)