Poetry
Three Poems
by Bijan Jalali
translated from the Persian by Hamed Kashani and Gary Gach
when you look
carefully
a flower
is all that is
to me
flowers
are the eyes
of the earth
regarding us
with bright surprise
as yet
unsaid
still
unwritten
it’s whiter
than paper
how each branch
of a tree
seeks its own path
in space
unlike
any other
Bijan Jalali (1928–99) was among a movement of poets who broke away from strict classical Persian poetry and spearheaded a simple, brief, verse, known as sepid (white) poetry. His works include Days, Our Hearts and the World, The Color of Water, Play of Light, and Dailies.
Hamed Kashani is an Iranian poet and translator. He is a member of poetry workshops at the Karnameh Institute of Arts and Culture in Tehran and hosts Friends of the Garden, with Gary Gach.
Gary Gach has published nine books, and his work has appeared in European Judaism, Inquiring Mind, The New Yorker, Yoga Journal, and the anthology Language for a New Century.
Please follow our Commentary Guidelines when engaging in discussion on this site.
