Visual and the Sonorous: From Plato to Police Sirens
Mahnaz Yousefzadeh
1.Beshno az ney chon hekaayat mikonad
Az jodaayee ha shekaayat mi-konad
2.Kaz neyestaan ta maraa bebrideh and
Dar nafiram mardo zan naalideh and
3.Sineh khaaham sharheh sharheh az faraagh
Ta begooyam sharheh dardeh eshtiyaagh
4.Har kasi ku door maand az asleh khish
Az jooyad roozegareh vasleh khish
5.Man be har jamiyati naalaan shodam
Jofteh bad haalaano khosh haalaan shodam
6.Har kasi az zanneh khod shod yaareh man
Az darooneh man najost asraareh man
7.Serreh man az naaleyeh man door nist
Lik chashmo goosh ra aan noor nist
8.Tan zeh jaano jaan zeh tan mastour nist
Lik kas ra dideh jaan dastour nist
9.Aatash ast in baangeh naayo nist baad
Har keh in aatash nadaarad nist baad

10.Aatasheh ishq ast kandar ney fetaad
Jooshesheh ishq ast kandar mey fetaad
11.Ney, harifeh har keh az yaari borid
Pardeh hayash pardeh hayeh ma darid
12.Hamcho ney zahri o taryaqi keh did?
Hamchon ney damsaaz o moshtaqi ke did?
13.Ney hadiseh raheh por khoon mikonad
Qesseh hayeh eshq e majnoon mikonad
14.Mahrameh in hoosh joz bihoosh nist
Mar zaban ra moshtari joz goosh nist
15.Dar ghameh ma rooz ha bigaah shod
Rouz ha ba souz ha hamraah shod
16.Rouz ha gar raft gu ro baak nist
To bemaan , ey aankeh chin to paak nist
17.Har keh joz maahi zeh aabash dir shod
Har keh bi roozist, roozash dir shod
18.Dar nayaabad haaleh pokhteh hich khaam
Pas sokhan kootaah baayad, vassalaam

1. Listen to the reed how it narrates a tale,*** 
 A tale of all the separations of which it complains.
2. Ever since they cut me from the reed-bed,*** 
 Men and women bemoaned my lament.
3. How I wish in separation, a bosom shred and shred,*** 
 So as to utter the description of the pain of longing.
4. Whoever becomes distanced from his roots,*** 
 Seeks to return to the days of his union.
5. I joined every gathering uttering my lament,*** 
 Consorting with the joyous and the sorrowful.
6. Everyone befriended me following his own opinion,*** 
 No one sought the secrets from within me.
7. My secret is not far away from my lament,*** 
 Yet, eye and ear do not possess that light.
8. Body is not hidden from soul, nor soul from body,*** 
 Yet, none has the license to see the soul.
9. The cry of the reed is fire, not wind,*** 
 Whoso does not possess this fire may he be naught.
10. 'Tis the fire of Love that befelled the reed,*** 
 'Tis the fervent desire of Love that entered the wine.
11. The reed is the comrade of whoever has become severed from 
 a friend,*** Its strains have rent asunder our veils.
12. Who has ever seen a poison and an antidote like the reed?*** 
 Who has ever seen a consort and a longing lover like the reed?
13. [omitted]
14. The confident of this consciousness is none other than the 
 unconscious.*** For the tongue has no client save the ear.
15. In our sorrow the days of our life become unseasonable,*** 
 The days have become fellow travelers of burning grief.

16. If the days have passed, say go it matters not,*** 
 Do Thou remain,
O Thou like whom there is no one pure.
17. Whoever is not a fish becomes sated with His water.*** 
 Whoever has no daily bread, his day becomes long.
18. The state of the ripe, none who is raw understands,*** 
 Hence brief my words must be. Farewell.
1. Listen to the story told by the reed, 
 of being separated.
2. "Since I was cut from the reedbed, 
 I have made this crying sound.
3. Anyone apart from someone he loves 
 understands what I say.
4. Anyone pulled from a source 
 longs to go back.
5. At any gathering I am there, 
 mingling in the laughing and grieving,
6-7. a friend to each, but few 
 will hear the secrets hidden / 
 within the notes. No ears for that.
8. Body flowing out of spirit, 
 spirit up from body: no concealing / 
 that mixing. But it's not given us 
 to see the soul.
9. The reed flute 
 is fire, not wind. Be that empty."
10. Hear the love-fire tangled 
 in the reed notes, as bewilderment 
 melts into wine.
11. The reed is a friend 
 to all who want the fabric torn 
 and drawn away.
12. The reed is hurt and salve combining. 
 Intimacy and longing for 
 intimacy, one song
13. A disastrous surrender, 
 and a fine love, together.
14. The one who secretly hears this 
 is senseless. A tongue has 
 one customer, the ear.
A. If a sugarcane flute had no effect, 
 it would not have been able to make sugar 
 in the reedbed. Whatever sound 
 it makes is for everyone.

15-16. Days full of wanting, let them go by 
 without worrying that they do.
B. Stay where you are, inside 
 such a pure, hollow note.
17. Every thirst gets satisfied except 
 that of these fish, the mystics, 
 who swim an ocean of grace 
 still somehow longing for it!
C. No one lives in that without 
 being nourished every day.
18. But if someone doesn't want 
 to hear the song of the reed flute, 
 it's best to cut conversation 
 short, say goodbye, and leave.
ب
ون ش ن یا ی ن نوچ ت یاک ش یمدن ک
زا اهی یادج ت یاک ح یمدن ک
ز ک نات س ی ن ا ت ارم هد یرب بد نا
رد مری ف ن درم و نز هدی لا ند نا
هن ی س مهاوخ هحرش هحرش زا قار ف
ا ت م یوگ ب حرش درد قای ت ش ا
ره یس ک و ک رود د نام زا لص ا ش یوخ
زا ب د یوج را گزور لص و ش یوخ
نم ه ب ره یت ی ع مج ن لاا ن مدش
تف ج ن لااحد ب و شوخن لااح مدش
یس کره زا نظ دوخ دش را ی نم
زا نورد نم تس ج ن رارس ا نم
رس نم زا ه لا نی نم رود تس ی ن
کی ل مش چ و شو گ ار نآ رو ن تس ی ن
ن ت ز ناج و ناج ز ن ت روت س م تس ی ن
کی ل س ک ار د ید ناج روت س د تس ی ن
تس ش تآ ن یا گ نا ب یا ن و تس ی ن دا ب
ره ه ک ن یا ش تآ دراد ن تس ی ن دا ب

ش تآ تس ق ش ع رد نا ک ی ن دات ف
شش وج تس ق ش ع رد نا ک یم دات ف
ی ن ف یرح ه کره زا یرا ی د یر ب
هدر پشااه هدر پیاه ام د یرد
وچمه ی ن یرهز و ی قا یر ت ی ک د ید
وچمه ی ن زاس مد و ی قات ش م ی ک د ید
ی ن ث یدح هار ر پ نوخ یمدن ک
هص قیاه قش ع نون جم یمدن ک
مرحم ن یا شوه زج شوهی ب تس ی ن
رم نا بز ار یرت ش م زج شو گ تس ی ن
رد مغ ام اهزور هاگ ی ب دش
اهزور ا ب اهزوس هارمه دش
اهزور ر گ ت فر و گ ور کا ب تس ی ن
و ت نام ب یا ک نآ نوچ و ت کا پ تس ی ن
ره ه ک زج یهام ز ش بآ ری س دش
ه کره ی ب تس یزور شزور ر ید دش
رد د بای ن لاح هت خ پ چی ه ماخ
س پ نخس ها تو ک د یا ب ملا س لاو