Light Blue Memories
O exiles of the mountain of oblivion!
O the jewels of your names, slumbering in the mire of silence
O your obliterated memories, your light blue memories
In the silty mind of a wave in the sea of forgetting
Where is the clear, flowing stream of your thoughts?
Which thieving hand plundered the pure golden statue
of your dreams?
In this storm which gives birth to oppression
Where has your ship, your serene silver mooncraft gone?
After this bitter cold which gives birth to death -
If the sea should fall calm
If the cloud should release the hearts knotted sorrows
If the maiden of moonlight should bring love, offer a smile
If the mountain should soften its heart, adorn itself with green,
become fruitful -
Will one of your names, above the peaks,
become bright as the sun?
Will the rise of your memories
Your light blue memories
In the eyes of fishes weary of floodwaters and
fearful of the rain of oppression
become a reflection of hope?
O, exiles of the mountain of oblivion!
- by Nadia Anjuman, November / December 2001
Translated from Farsi by Zuzanna Olszewska and Belgheis Alavi
Afghanistan Poet - Nadia Anjuman (1980 - 2005)
In 2005, when she was twenty five years old, Nadia Anjuman published her first collection of poetry, Gol-e Dudi (Smokey Flower) to great acclaim. She was hailed for introducing a fresh language and youthful point of view into Dari poetry. Soon after the book's publication, however, Anjuman was beaten to death. Many Afghanis believe that Anjuman was killed by her own husband and his family for the transgression of writing.
