"I Swear," a Poem in Farsi by Anonymous, Translated by John Demmery Green and Shiva Ebrahimi

I Swear

For you I write this letter
From dust in coldest alleyways
In crimson blood of mine I sign it
So that laughter one day follows pain

When comes that blessed morrow
From green and growth I take new life
The everlasting sun of freedom
Shines our light through the glowing skies

I swear by blood of my companions
I swear on every mother's tears
Their blades may offer brutish violence
Our cry never disappears

Blood flowed the month of Aban
Injustice we know all too well
Opposed to grudges and their hatred
Our one sin was daring to rebel

My defenseless life and body
The tyrant's arrow-mark too long
For our new birth of revolution
I stand guard, fearless, proud, and strong

I swear to all who love our Iran
I swear to bravest Zahedan
I'll not retreat a single step
'Til that day the usurpers are gone

I swear by blood of my companions
I swear on every mother's tears
Their blades may offer brutish violence
Our cry never disappears

سوگند (هرگز به تیغشان نمیرد فریاد جاودان ما)

این نامه را برایت، از خاک کوچه‌های سرد

با خون سرخ خود نوشتم، تا روید خنده‌ها ز درد

چون روز دیگر آید روحم جان سبزه‌هاست

خورشید جاودان آزادی نور آسمان ماست

سوگند به خون همرهانم، سوگند به اشک مادران

هرگز به تیغشان نمیرد فریاد جاودان ما

ما سیل خون آبان، با بی‌عدالتی عجین

تنها گناهمان خروش خشمی بود در جواب کین

جسم و جان بی‌پناهم، آماج تیر ظالمان

مغرور و سربلندم و می‌بالم بر انقلابمان

سوگند به عاشقان ایران، سوگند به شور زاهدان

از راه رفته برنگردم تا روز کوچ غاصبان

سوگند به خون همرهانم، سوگند به اشک

مادران

هرگز به تیغشان نمیرد فریاد جاودان ما

Shiva Ebrahimi: Born and raised in Tehran, Iran, Shiva studied architecture at the University of Tehran before immigrating to Canada to earn a Masters in Art History and Visual Studies from the University of Victoria, with a thesis on cultural translation in 19th century Iranian interior design. Developing a passion for poetry from a young age, Shiva was steeped in the Persian classics of Hafez, Rumi, and Saadi along with modern poets like Ahmad Shamlou and Forugh Farrokhzad. For the Sher-e-Enghelab series she serves as literary curator, translation supervisor, and cultural consultant.

John Demmery Green: Raised in Victoria, BC, and a graduate of the University of Victoria's Writing program, John has written plays, fiction, and poetry and staged his work in both Canada and London, England. With a strong interest in Indo-Persian language and literature, he studied Classical Sanskrit at SOAS, University of London, and continued with Hindi, Bengali, and currently Persian (Farsi). The Sher-e-Enghelab project is his first foray into literary translation.