(1926-2000)
The Beloved Contemporary Iranian Poet
Shahri Estakhry
And if one day someone should ask me
“What did you do, while you were on earth?”
With tears and laughter, holding my head up high
I will open my book of life to them
And say: A new seed has been planted
It needs time to grow and give fruit.
Fereydoon Moshiri, the renowned Iranian poet, who had suffered from Leukemia and renal failure for several years, died on Friday, October 27, 2000, in Tehran. The illustrious contemporary poet had a special love for poetry since his childhood.
In a will to his children, Bahaar and Babak, Moshiri left his private library to the beloved people of his homeland, to be placed and kept in a public library in order for all to have access to his collection. All of his work has been placed in a two-volume collection: “Baztabe Nafase Sobhdaman.”
Man’s feelings toward life and death, love and beauty, social environment and the universe, peace and friendship, love and serving mankind as a whole are the foundation of Moshiri’s poetry. A master of nature’s description, he was famous for his eloquent and simple language. Many of his poems have been put to music and sung by great artists such as Master Siavash Shajarian.
Moshiri visited the U.S. and participated in several lectures at various universities and cultural centers in 1997 and 1998. He was the guest of the Persian Cultural Center in San Diego on November 17, 1997. Several hundred Iranians gathered to hear him read his poetry and waited in a long line to meet him and have him sign their books. I had the great pleasure and honor of being part of the team who hosted him here. It was easy to connect with him through his poetry, but what still stands out for me was his easygoing manner and enjoyable sense of humor.
While in San Diego, we worked together translating some of his poetry:
MOON and STONE (11/1997)
Were I the moon wherever I was
I would look for you, begging God’s help.
Were I a stone, wherever you trod
I’d lie in the pathway of your walk.
Were you the moon, perhaps with a thousand hesitations
You would, for one night sit on the edge of my roof.
And were you the stone, wherever I was
You would break me, break me.
Moshiri’s contributions to the Iranian literary world have earned him a place in the history of his homeland and in the hearts of his fans worldwide.
