“Do not weep, my sister. A tree will take root in your home and many trees in your town and even more in your land. And the wind will bring the message of each tree to the other, and the trees will ask the wind, ‘did you see the dawn as you were coming on your way?’”
Glossary
Agha—or Aqa. Roughly meaning “Mr.” or “Sir”.
Ashura—the tenth day of Moharram, the day of the martyrdom of Imam Hossein at Karbala.
Babi—a member of the Babi sect, founded by Seyyid Ali Mohammad of Shiraz, and considered heretical by Shiites.
Bibi—mother.
chador—full-length veil. Women of higher class would use indoor and outdoor veils, often made in a variety of luxurious fabrics.
droshke—an open, horse-drawn carriage similar to its Russian counterpart.
Ezhdehakosh—a clan of the Qashqai tribe of southern Iran.
Farsi-Madan—a clan of the Qashqai tribe.
Fassayakafikohomo’allah—a phrase in Arabic meaning “Then God shall be sufficient for you”.
Ghassem wedding chamber—a miniature structure carried at the head of Shiite funeral processions to remind mourners of the untimely martyrdom of Qassem, son of Hassan, who died just before his marriage-day.
giveh—woven canvas summer shoes or slippers.
halva—a type of pastry commonly served at funerals.
Hazrat—meaning “saint” or “holiness”; thus Hazrate Abbas,
Hazrate Massoumeh, Hazrate Fatemeh, Hazrate Zeynab, all refer to holy persons, in this case the immediate family of the Prophet Mohammad.
howzkhaneh—roughly equivalent to a basement, where people retire in the heat of the day, and which generally has a small pool with a fountain.
Imam—Islamic religious title which refers both to the family of the Prophet Mohammad, and to clergymen of the highest authority, e.g. Imam Juma. Thus, also, Imam Reza, eighth Shiite Imam, or Imam Hossein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, or Imam Ali, son-in-law of the Prophet, on whom the Sufi sect of dervishes in Iran is focused, as well as being the legitimate Caliph and heir after Mohammad’s death, according to Shiites.
Kahn/Khanom—titles meaning “Mr.” or “Mrs.” Khanom Hakim literally means “lady doctor”. Khan can also refer to tribal chiefs or feudal landlords, as in Yusef’s case.
Khuli—in Shiite lore, a man who had hidden Imam Hossein’s severed head in the furnace in his house.
Masnavi—a form of verse popularized by Jalal-ud-Din Rumi, the great Persian mystic poet.
Nakir and Monkir—two angels believed to interrogate the dead on their first night in the grave.
Ramadan/Ramazan—Islamic month of fasting.
Rowzeh—a ritual gathering in popular religious practice, to lament the martyrdom of the Shiite Imams. Special food is prepared for the occasion and distributed amongst the poor.
Seyyid—honorific title used for men to denote descent from the Prophet Mohammad.
Shahnameh—epic book of poetry written by the Iranian poet Ferdowsi, dating to the eleventh century. The mythology created by Ferdowsi figures largely in all aspects of traditional Iranian culture. Thus, Rostam and Sohrab – the legendary son killed at the hand of Rostam, his own father. Esfandiar the invincible, Ashkabus the warrior, Akvan the demon—are all characters from this epic.
Sheikh San’an—from Farrid-ud-Din Attar’s “Mantiq-ut-Teyr” or “Conference of the Birds”. The story of a prominent clergyman who fell in love with a Christian girl, renouncing his high position and followers to prove his love for her.
Siavush—legendary Iranian prince, whose stepmother conspired against him and who was forced to undergo a trial by fire.
Sobhi—a popular radio story-teller for children.
takht—large, multi-purpose wooden bed or platform. Can be used as seating over a small pool for coolness in the afternoon, or as bed under mosquito netting.
tar—a stringed instrument, played by plucking.
Ta’zieh—an Islamic Shiite passion play re-enacting the martyrdom of the Imams at Karbala. It often serves as inspiration for various mourning rituals, and was banned by Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi for the religious fervour it was liable to create. Marhab, Shemr (who beheaded Imam Hossein), Yazid (the Omayyid Caliph), the farangi (or European), the unwanted Zeynab, Hend, who rapaciously tore out the liver of the Prophet’s uncle, and Fezza, are all villains of the play.
toman—ten rials, i.e. unit of Iranian currency.
Tuba tree—a tree in Paradise which has all manner of heavenly fruit.
Walazalin—the last phrase of the opening Surah of the Quran.
Ya Hu, Ya Haq, Ya Ali—a chant used by Sufi dervishes.
zither—a stringed instrument with flat sounding-board played on table.
Zurkhaneh—Persian “gymnasium” where the national sport—a type of rhythmic exercise with weights—is practised to chanted music.
About the Author
SIMIN DANESHVAR was born into a provincial, middle-class family in Shiraz in 1921, educated at a missionary school and later at Tehran University. The comparatively relaxed political environment of the forties in Iran led her to choose journalism as her first career, and she began writing fiction at the same time. She subsequently married Jalal Al-e Ahmad, the leading Iranian intellectual and writer, received her doctorate from Tehran University and won a Fulbright scholarship to Stanford University. Upon her return to Iran she became an associate professor of art history at Tehran University. She was an articulate and outspoken lecturer and her promotion was hindered by Savak, the secret police.
After her husband’s untimely death in 1969, Daneshvar assumed a leading role in the Writer’s Association which he had helped found and she provided moral support for intellectuals opposing the Shah’s regime. After the Revolution in 1979, she retired from her University post. Since then, she has kept a low profile whilst continuing to write fiction and remaining deeply committed to her life-long concern with women and their role in Iranian society.
Copyright
This ebook published in Great Britain by
Halban Publishers Ltd
22 Golden Square
London W1F 9JW
2012
First published in Great Britain by Halban Publishers, 1991
www.halbanpublishers.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Publishers.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978 1 905559 48 0
Originally published in Iran under the title Savushun
Copyright © 1969 by Simin Daneshvar
Translation copyright © 1991 by Roxane Zand
Simin Daneshvar has asserted his right under the Copyright, Design and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
Original cover design by The Third Man
Originally printed in Great Britain by Cox and Wyman
Simin Daneshvar, A Persian Requiem
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