A Poem by Younes Rezaie Translated by Himan Heidari

A Woman Runs Within a Newspaper, Ablaze
 
Sell my death to the newspapers,
and tell the news to the ravens.
I opposed the rocks
that agitated the river’s quiet,
derailing the fish’s gentle strolls.

I placed myself in the hands of dark journalists,
my flesh imbued with the essence of the sea.
I brushed away autumn’s touch,
little by little, slipping from solitude.

They wrote, He is dead,
seeing my coffin carried on the winds.
But I was drawing birds
on the steamed-up window,
building nests
for the dawn’s delicate China dolls.

They wrote, He flew,
seeing my nest burning in flames.
I was merely sketching the map of waters
on the wall, adorned with Lake Van
and the sea of a girl’s eyes,
selling flowers as
a hundred boats crossed her sorrow.

The ravens croak dark rumours,
spreading the shadow of my corpse.
But I am dressed in gardens,
amidst the harsh seasons of falling leaves.

Sell my call to the mutiny of the wall,
my eyes to a closed window.
I oppose the red signs along the roadway,  
proclaiming that paths intertwine.  
Humans rake at each other’s wounds,  
drawing ever closer to the precipice.

I return home to find a luminous woman
hanging her newspaper on the wall,
titled The Beginning of the Birds.
She’s chronicled the rainfall along the boulevard,  
and sketched a completely anonymous fish.

I say, ‘The newspapers sell darkness,
the river turns murky within me,
and the nest gently descends into the night.’

She says,
‘Set a lamp beside me,
for I conceal the promise of a hundred pregnant seasons
within my gaze.’

Ablaze,
in search of a poem,
I sit beside her
until dawn.

ژنێک له ڕﯙژنامەدا ڕادﮦكا، ڕووناک

مردنم به ڕﯙژنامەكان بفرۆشن

هەواڵم به قاڵاوەكان بدەن

من دژايەتى ئەو بەردانەم كرد

هێمنيى چۆميان شڵەژاند

پياسەى ماسييان تێكدا

خۆم دايه دەست هەواڵنووسەكانى تاريک

لەشم هەموو شەدارى دەريا بوو

خۆم تەكاندووه له پاييز

خەريكه ورده ورده له تەنيايى دەترازم

نووسييان مرد

تابووتەكەيمان ديتووه به دەم باوه

كەچى من باڵندﻩم دﻩكێشاوه

لەسەر مژى پەنجەره

هێلانەم ساز دەكرد

ﺑﯙ بووكه شووشەكانى بەیانى

نووسيان هەڵفڕى

هيلانەيمان ديوه له ئاوردا

من تازه نەخشەى ئاوم بەديوارەكانمەوه دەنووسى

به گۆلى وان و

دەریاى چاوەكانى كچێكيشەوه

گوڵ دﻩﻓرﯙشێ و

سەد كەشتى به خەميدا ڕادەبڕێ

قاڵاوﮦكانيش بەردەوامن

له بڵاوكردنەوەى سێبەرى تەرمم

بەڵام من هەموو باخەكانم لەبەرن

به وﻩرزى ﯬستەمى گەڵاوه

دەنگم بفرۆشن به ئاژاوەی ديوار

چاويشم به دەلاقەيەكى بەستراو

من دژايەتى تابڵۆ سوورەكانى ڕێگاوبان دەكەم

كه دﻩڵێن رێگاكان يەكترى دەبڕن

مرۆڨەكان دەست دەخەنه ناو زامى یەک

.له هەڵدێر نزێک دەبنەوه

دەچمەوه ماڵێ ژنێكى ڕوون دەبينم

ڕۆژنامەى خۆى هەڵواسيوه

“ناوى لێناوه “دەسپێكى باڵندەكان

هەواڵى نووسيوه لەسەر بارانى خيابان

وێنەى ماسييەكى نەخشاندووه بێ ناونيشان

دﻩڵيم: ڕﯙژنامەكان تاریكى دهﻓرۆﺷن

چۆم خەريكه شلوێ دﻩبێ له جەستەم دا

هێلانه ورده ورده دەكەوێته درەنگانى شەوەوه

دەڵێ: چرايەک داگيرسێنه له پەنام

من دەرفەتى سەد مانگى ئاوسەم

داشاردووه له نيگادا

ڕووناک

بەديار شێعرێكەوه دادەنيشم

تا سبەينێ

Younes Rezaie, a Kurdish poet and writer, was born in 1975 in Bukan, Eastern (Iranian) Kurdistan. After completing his Master’s degree in political science from Tehran University, Younes started writing numerous articles and poems for various magazines and publications in both Iran and Iraq. He served as the editor-in-chief of the magazines Zayala, Payzha, and Serwa. Concurrently, he has been active in the field of children’s literature and has written and translated numerous books. Some of his poetry collections include I’m the Poet of Waiting Women (2007), Rain’s Symphony No.5 (2018), and Play with the Alphabet of Crying (2018). Younes’ poetry features natural imagery, religious and ancient symbols to vividly depict themes of longing, homeland, and the struggles of Kurdish women. He is celebrated for his unconventional use of metaphors and similes.

Himan Heidari is a Kurdish translator and scholar. He is currently working towards his PhD in English Literature at Roehampton University, London. His short stories, poems, translations, and articles have been featured in publications such as the Literary Hatchet, MAYDAY Magazine, Los Angeles Review, and The Journal of Victorian Culture.

1 October 2025