Sohrab Sepehri: Over the Eyelids of Night
Translated by Abas Zahedi
It was a flowing night.
From beneath the spruce trees,
The stream was flowing to far beyond.
The moonlight was illuminating the valley
And the mountain so bright that God could be seen.
We were on the heights.
Far beyond, invisible; surfaces, washed;
And glance, more amorous than ever before.
You handed me the green stalk of a message
And your breath quietly cracked
The Terracotta of Familiarity.
Our heartbeats pouring down the rocks
From an old wine, the summer’s sands flowing in veins
And the Moonlight enameling your behavior
You were wonderful free, and down-to-earth.
The Green Fortune of Life mingled
With the cool mountain air.
Shadows returned
And pennyroyals danced
With the breeze
And ecstasies mingled together.