I Am Human

Translation by: Zara Houshmand, 1997
Zara Houshmand,©1997

The first part of this poem is from the eye of a patriarchal society towards women, and the second part is a woman’s voice which denounces the repression of that society, for she knows her values and abilities.

Bow your form
In sight of the earth.
Hide your face
From the light of the sun and the moon.
For you are a woman.

Bury your body’s blossoming
In the pit of time.
Consign the renegade strands of your hair
To the ashes of the wood stove
And the fiery power of your hands
To scrubbing and sweeping the home
For you are a woman.

Murder your words’ fervor
In the devastation of silence.
Feel shame for your desires
And grant your enchanted soul
To the patience of the wind
For you are a woman.

In the muddy mirror of jealousy
Adorn yourself.
Dress up in the spoil of ignorance
For you are a woman.

Deny yourself,
That your Lord
May ride in you at his pleasure
For you are a woman.

I cry,
I cry.
In a land where ignorant kindness
Cuts deeper than the cruelty of knowledge
I weep for my birth
As a woman.

I fight,
I fight.
In a land where the zeal of manliness
Bellows in the field
Between home and grave
I fight along with my birth
As a woman.

I keep my eyes wide open
So as not to sink
Under the weight of this dream
That others have dreamt for me,
And I rip apart this ghostly shirt
They have sown to cover
My naked thought
For I am a woman.

I make love to the god of war
To bury the ancient sword of his anger.
I make war on the dark god
That the stars of my name may shine
For I am a woman.

With love in one hand,
Labor in the other,
I fashion the world on the ground
Of my glorious brilliance,
And in a bed of clouds I plant
The scent of my smile,
That the sweet smelling rain
May bring to bud
All the ivy of the world
For I am a woman.

My children I bring
To the feast of light,
My men
To the feast of awareness
For I am a woman.

I am the earth’s steady chastity
The enduring glory of time
For I am human.